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Poem
January 26, 1782
The New Hampshire Gazette And General Advertiser
Portsmouth, Exeter, Rockingham County, New Hampshire
What is this article about?
A milk-maid named Kate daydreams of wealth and high marriage while carrying her pail, but spills it in excitement, losing her milk and ruining her plans. The poem ends with a moral warning against presumption.
Clipping
OCR Quality
95%
Excellent
Full Text
The MILK-MAID.
As Kate one morn, with milk-pail on her head,
Was trudging homeward thro' the verdant mead,
Her mind revolving on ten thousand ways
To fix her lover's, and her fortune raise:
Bright hope at once beam'd on her fluttering breast,
And as she went she thus herself address'd:
"Suppose my milk should old, some eggs then I'll buy,
And chickens to raise directly I'll try;
My poultry, when rear'd, will fetch a good price,
And two little lambs I'll get in a trice;
My flock will increase, if fortune but smile.
Farewel then! farewel to labour and toil.
Now lovers around me will buzz like the bee,
No girl in our village so courted as me;
But rustics, adieu! no such conquests I prize,
The hearts I once sought I now can despise;
A Lord or some 'Squire my riches may win,
And titles or coaches are surely no sin."
Struck with her fancied bliss, Kate leap'd for joy:
Ah, fickle fortune! why her hopes destroy!
Down came the pail, and in the mighty fell,
Eggs, chickens, lambs, Lords, 'Squires, are vanish'd all.
Fair ladies who my tale attend,
Forgive this moral from a friend:
Like ruin'd Kate pray be not catch'd,
Nor count your chicks before they're hatch'd.
As Kate one morn, with milk-pail on her head,
Was trudging homeward thro' the verdant mead,
Her mind revolving on ten thousand ways
To fix her lover's, and her fortune raise:
Bright hope at once beam'd on her fluttering breast,
And as she went she thus herself address'd:
"Suppose my milk should old, some eggs then I'll buy,
And chickens to raise directly I'll try;
My poultry, when rear'd, will fetch a good price,
And two little lambs I'll get in a trice;
My flock will increase, if fortune but smile.
Farewel then! farewel to labour and toil.
Now lovers around me will buzz like the bee,
No girl in our village so courted as me;
But rustics, adieu! no such conquests I prize,
The hearts I once sought I now can despise;
A Lord or some 'Squire my riches may win,
And titles or coaches are surely no sin."
Struck with her fancied bliss, Kate leap'd for joy:
Ah, fickle fortune! why her hopes destroy!
Down came the pail, and in the mighty fell,
Eggs, chickens, lambs, Lords, 'Squires, are vanish'd all.
Fair ladies who my tale attend,
Forgive this moral from a friend:
Like ruin'd Kate pray be not catch'd,
Nor count your chicks before they're hatch'd.
What sub-type of article is it?
Ballad
What themes does it cover?
Moral Virtue
What keywords are associated?
Milk Maid
Daydream
Fortune
Presumption
Moral
Chickens Hatched
Poem Details
Title
The Milk Maid.
Key Lines
Fair Ladies Who My Tale Attend,
Forgive This Moral From A Friend:
Like Ruin'd Kate Pray Be Not Catch'd,
Nor Count Your Chicks Before They're Hatch'd.