For her this rhyme is penned, whose luminous eyes,
Brightly expressive as the twins of Loeda,
Shall find her own sweet name, that, nestling lies
Upon the page, enwrapped from every reader.
Search narrowly the lines!--they hold a treasure
Divine--a talisman--an amulet
That must be worn at heart .
Search well the measure--
The words-- the syllables! Do not forget
The trivialest point, or you may lose your labor!
And yet there is in the Gordian knot
Which one might not undo without sabre,
If one could merely comprehend the plot.
Enwritten upon the leaf wher now are peering
Eyes' scintillating soul, there lie perdus
Three eloquent words oft uttered in the hearing
Of poets, by poets--as the name is a poet's too.
Its letters, although naturally lying
Like the knight Pinto--Mendez Ferdinando--
Still form a synonym for Truth.--Cease trying!
You will not read the riddle, though you do the best you can do.
(You can figure out the name of this woman by reading the first letter of the first line, the second letter of the second line, the third letter of the third line, etc. For those of you who don't have time, the woman's name is Frances Sargent Osgood.)