Poems (Charlotte Allen)/Introduction
INTRODUCTION.
Go little book, and through the world, Unprefaced wend thy way;And seek amid life's busy scenes, To breathe thy humble lay.
It is not with a wreath of fame, I seek to bind my brow;Nor undeserved applause to gain, That I thus venture now.
To cast before the public eye, The offerings of my muse,Which, though not faultless, fondly still Your approbation woos.
Parnassus' top I never gained, To win a metric race;But am content to be allowed, To flutter 'round its base.
I never yet have dipped my pen, In deep poetic lore;But merely as a pastime sought, Its surface to explore.
And now with many hopes and fears, I launch my little barque;And trembling wait the world's opine, With the critic's cold remark.