Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, RIDDLE, by NATHANIEL COTTON


Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

RIDDLE, by                     Poet's Biography
First Line: To you, fair maidens, I address
Last Line: Can tremble and adhere.
Subject(s): Cotton


TO you, fair maidens, I address,
Sent to adorn your life;
And she who first my name can guess,
Shall first be made a wife.

From the dark womb of mother earth,
To mortal's aid I come;
But ere I can receive my birth,
I many shapes assume.

Passive by nature, yet I'm made
As active as the roe;
And oftentimes, with equal speed,
Through flowery lawns I go.

When wicked men their wealth consume,
And leave their children poor,
To me their daughters often come,
And I encrease their store.

The women of the wiser kind,
Did never once refuse me;
But yet I never once could find
That maids of honour use me.

The lily hand and brilliant eye,
May charm without my aid;
Beauty may strike the lover's eye,
And love inspire the maid.

But let the' enchanting nymph be told,
Unless I grace her life,
She must have wondrous store of gold,
Or make a wretched wife.

Although I never hope to rest,
With Christians I go forth;
And while they worship to the east,
I prostrate to the north.

If you suspect hypocrisy,
Or think me insincere,
Produce the zealot, who, like me,
Can tremble and adhere.





Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!


Other Poems of Interest...
Home: PoetryExplorer.net