Contents -BIBLIOGRAPHIC RECORD

T. R. Smith, comp. Poetica Erotica: Rare and Curious Amatory Verse. 1921–22.

In Praise of a Deformed Woman

Anonymous

(From Choyce Drollery, 1656) 1 I LOVE thee for thy curled hair,
As red as any Fox,
Our forefathers did still commend
The lovely golden locks.
Venus her self might comelier be,	5
Yet hath no such variety.
2 I love thee for thy squinting eyes,
It breeds no jealousy,
For when thou do’st on others look,
Methinks thou look’st on me,	10
Venus her self, etc.
3 I love thee for thy copper nose,
Thy fortune’s ne’re the worse,
If shows the metal in thy face
Thou shouldst have in thy purse,	15
Venus her self, etc.
4 I love thee for thy chestnut skin,
Thy inside’s white to me,
That colour should be most approved,
That will least changed be.	20
Venus her self, etc.
5 I love thee for thy splay mouth,
For on that amorous close
There’s room on either side to kiss,
And ne’re offend the nose.	25
Venus her self, etc.
6 I love thee for thy rotten gums,
In good time it may hap,
When other wives are costly fed,
I’ll keep thy chaps on pap.	30
Venus her self, etc.
7 I love thee for thy blobber lips,
’Tis good thrift I suppose,
They’re dripping-pans unto thy eyes,
And save-alls to thy nose.	35
Venus her self, etc.
8 I love thee for thy hunched back,
’Tis bowed although not broken,
For I believe the Gods did send
Me to Thee for a Token.	40
Venus her self, etc.
9 I love thee for thy pudding waist,
If a Taylor thou do’st lack,
Thou need’st not send to France for one,
I’ll fit thee with a sack.	45
Venus her self, etc.
10 I love thee for thy lusty thighs
For tressels thou must boast,
Sweet-heart thou hast a water-mill,
And these are the mill-posts.	50
Venus her self, etc.
11 I love thee for thy splay feet,
They’re fools that thee deride,
Women are always most esteemed,
When their feet are most wide.	55
Venus her self may comelier be, etc.