I never was, but always am to be ;
None ever saw me, you may never see ;
And yet I am the confidence of all
Who live and breathe on this terrestrial ball.
The princely heir, his honours not yet blown,
Still looks to me for his expected crown ;
The miser hopes I shall increase his wealth ;
The sick man prays me to restore his health :
The lover trusts me for his destined bride ;
And all who hopes or wishes have beside.
Now name me, but confide not, for believe
That you and every one I still deceive.
I’m a singular creature, pray tell me my name —
I partake of my countrymen’s glory and fame,
I daily am old, and I daily am new,
I am praised, I am blamed, I am false, I am true
I’m the talk of the nation, while I’m in my prime,
But forgotten when once I’ve outlasted my time.
In the morning no miss is more courted than I,
In the evening you see me thrown carelessly by,
Take warning, ye Fair, — I, like you, have my day.
But, alas ! you, like me, must grow old and decay.
