Classic Poem

Reason and Folly and Beauty, they say,
Went on a party of pleasure one day:
Folly played
Around the maid,
The bells of his cap rung merrily out;
While Reason took
To his sermon-book —
Oh! which was the pleasanter no one need doubt,
Which was the pleasanter no one need doubt.

Beauty, who likes to be thought very sage,
Turned for a moment to Reason's dull page,
Till Folly said,
" Look here, sweet maid! " —
The sight of his cap brought her back to herself;
While Reason read
His leaves of lead,
With no one to mind him, poor sensible elf!
No, — no one to mind him, poor sensible elf!

Then Reason grew jealous of Folly's gay cap;
Had he that on, he her heart might entrap —
" There it is, "
Quoth Folly, " old quiz! "
(Folly was always good-natured, 't is said,)
" Under the sun
" There's no such fun,
" As Reason with my cap and bells on his head! "
" Reason with my cap and bells on his head! "

But Reason the head-dress so awkwardly wore,
That Beauty now liked him still less than before;
While Folly took
Old Reason's book,
And twisted the leaves in a cap of such ton ,
That Beauty vowed
(Tho' not aloud),
She liked him still better in that than his own,
Yes, — liked him still better in that than his own.