Nymph of the Laughing Eye, and Sportive Mien

 Cheerfulness
by Mary F. Johnson  

Nymph of the laughing eye, and sportive mien,
In whose blithe smile exists a potent spell
To charm the spirit of the moody spleen,
And from thy circle the black fiend expel,
Come, Cheerfulness! and in my bosom dwell!
Me from disquieting emotions wean:
Teach me the tones, that, thrilling from thy shell,
Arouse the dormant joys of each dull scene;
The lighter ills of life-a countless train 
That in their bud the blooms of Pleasure blast;
That taint, on Plenty's board, the sweet repast, 
And wither Comfort with corrosive bane; --
These ills-in social scenes so thickly strown --
Where Cheerfulness presides, are ills unknown!