Dell And I

In a mansion grand, just over the way         Lives bonny, beautiful Dell;          You may have heard of this lady gay,         For she is a famous belle.          I live in a low cot opposite -         You never have heard of me;          For when the lady moon shines bright,         Who would a pale star see?     But ah, well! ah, well!    I am happier far than Dell,         As strange as that may be.          Dell has robes of the richest kind -         Pinks and purples and blues;          And she worries her maid and frets her mind         To know which one to choose.          Which shall it be now, silk or lace?         In which will I be most fair?          She stands by the mirror with anxious face,         And her maid looks on in despair.     Ah, well! ah, well!    I am not worried, you see, like Dell,         For I have but one to wear.          Dell has lovers of every grade,         Of every age and style;          Suitors flutter about the maid,         And bask in her word and smile.          She keeps them all, with a coquette's art,         As suits her mood or mirth,          And vainly wonders if in one heart         Of all true love has birth.     Ah, well! ah, well!    I never question myself like Dell,         For I know a true heart's worth.          Pleasure to Dell seems stale and old,         Often she sits and sighs;          Life to me is a tale untold,         Each day is a glad surprise.          Dell will marry, of course, some day,         After her belleship is run;          She will cavil the matter in worldly way         And wed Dame Fortune's son     But, ah, well! sweet to tell, I shall not dally and choose like Dell,         For I love and am loved by - one.