To M^r Piozzi 25: July 1803—Brynbella

Gabriel Piozzi: By unknown artist

Accept my Love this honest Lay
Upon your Twentieth Wedding Day:
I little hop'd our Lives would stay
To hail the Twentieth Wedding Day.
If you're grown Gouty1 — I grown Gray
Upon our Twentieth Wedding day—
Tis no great Wonder;—Friends must say
“ “Why tis their Twentieth Wedding Day.” ”
Perhaps there's few feel less Decay
Upon a Twentieth Wedding day:
And many of those who used to pay
Their Court upon our Wedding Day,
Have melted off, and died away
Before our Twentieth Wedding Day.
Those Places too, which once so gay,
Bore Witness to our Wedding Day;
Florence and Milan blythe as May
Marauding French2 have made their Prey.
The World itself’s in no good Way,
On this our Twentieth Wedding Day.
If then—of Gratitude one Ray
Illuminates our Wedding Day,
Think midst the Wars and wild Affray
That rage around this Wedding day,
What Mercy 'tis—we are spar'd to say
We have seen our Twentieth Wedding-day.”

Written by Hester Lynch Thrale. Thraliana entry dated 25 July 1803.

1. 1. Gabriel Piozzi suffered from gout.
2. 2. The French Revolution was happening when this was written.