"O wad some pow'r the giftie gie us,
To see oursels as others see us."
Alumni of the South: I fain would sing
The pompous asses and their blustering
Whose acts obey the vice versa law
Reflecting lustre from mere men of straw
| Who, like the laughing jackass, cachinnate In silly chatter to the chair of state Where sculptors model so securely sate,— |
Where deepest jet, the purest pearl, outvies
Nature still constant in anomalies
And "Honest man, God's noblest work," a name
Unknown in annals of this House of Fame—
More lofty verse for such were penned in vaen
Each pick his portrait in pure doggrel strain.—
Let stern reality my picture fill
Forego the lovely for the literal
My metre as my tone play as I please
With varied tints, as Autumn paints the trees.—
Let me invoke, dread Nemesis, thy aid
Thy coin flow freely where the debt is paid
Oh! may this nobbler bright my muse inspire
And guide my goose quill thro' thy maze,—Satire,—
