Page:Blanchard on L. E. L.pdf/124

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"The sage, the schoolboy, both can tell   The worth of L. S. D.; But, then, the worth of L. E. L.!     All letters told in three!

"In vain I've sought to illustrate    Each letter with a word; 'Twas only trying to translate     The language of a bird.

"I've read ye, L. E. L., quite bare;    Thus—Logic, Ethics, Lays: Lives, Episodes, and Lyrics fair—     I've guess'd away my days.

"One wild young fancy was the sire    Of fifty following after; Like these—Love, Eden, and the Lyre,     Light, Elegance, and Laughter.

"I've drawn from all the stars that shine    Interpretations silly; From flowers—the Lily, Eglantine,     And, then, another Lily.

"Now fancy's dead; no thought can strike,    No guess, solution, stricture; And L. E. L. is—simply like     This dainty little picture.

"Life to her lays! However Fame    'Mongst brightest names may set hers, These three initials—nameless name—     Shall never be dead letters!"

L. E. L. had, previous to the publication of these poems, illustrated poetically a volume of the "Flowers of Loveliness" for Mr. Ackermarm, and had, moreover, edited and enriched a "Book of Beauty" for Mr. Charles Heath. Besides her share in the origin of these annuals, she continued to contribute largely to others. The "Literary Gazette" still derived occasional advantage from her pen, and in the "Court Journal" she wrote uninterruptedly