To Margaret W------

By Charles Lamb 1775–1834 Charles Lamb

Margaret, in happy hour

Christen'd from that humble flower

Which we a daisy call!

May thy pretty name-sake be

In all things a type of thee,

And image thee in all.

Like it you show a modest face,

An unpretending native grace;—

The tulip, and the pink,

The china and the damask rose,

And every flaunting flower that blows,

In the comparing shrink.

Of lowly fields you think no scorn;

Yet gayest gardens would adorn,

And grace, wherever set.

Home-seated in your lonely bower,

Or wedded—a transplanted flower—

I bless you, Margaret!

Biography

Charles Lamb achieved lasting fame as a writer during the years 1820-1825, when he captivated the discerning English reading public with his personal essays in the London Magazine, collected as Essays of Elia (1823) and The Last Essays of Elia (1833). Known for their charm, humor, and perception, and laced with idiosyncrasies, these essays appear to be modest in scope, but their soundings are deep, and their ripples extend to . . .

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