Cupid Thrown into the South-Sea* by Allan Ramsay

Myrtilla¹, as like Venus‘ sell²,
As e’er an Egg was like anither,
Anes³ Cupid met upon the Mall,
And took her for his bonny Mither.

He wing’d his way up to her breast:
She started, he cry’d, Mam, ’tis me;
The Beauty, in o’er rash a Jest
Flang⁴ the Arch-Gytling⁵ in South-Sea.

Frae thence he raise wi’ gilded Wings,
His Bow and Shafts to Gowd were chang’d;
Deel’s i’ the sea, quoth he, it dings⁶;
Syne⁷ back to Mall and Park he rang’d.

Breathing Mischief, the God look’d gurly⁸,
With Transfers a’ his Darts were feather’d;
He made a horrid hurly burly,
Where Beaus and Belles were thickest gather’d.

He tentily⁹ Myrtilla sought,
And in the thrang¹⁰ Change-Alley¹¹ got her;
He drew his Bow, and quick, as Thought
With a braw¹² new Subscription¹³ shot her.

^*This poem is about the South Sea Bubble which began in 1711 with the creation of the South Sea Company and led to a financial crash in 1720 that ruined many investors

¹Myrtilla – myrtle is one of the plants associated with Venus
²Sell – self
³Anes – once
⁴Flang – threw
⁵Gytling – rascal, rogue, vagabond, bastard
⁶Dings – beats, pushes, shoves
⁷Syne – then
⁸Gurly – stormy, bitter, bleak
⁹Tentily – carefully, attentively
¹⁰Thrang – crowded
¹¹Change-Alley – Stock Exchange
¹²Braw – great, big, large
¹³Subscription – way of raising funds on the Stock Exchange

From: Ramsay, Allan, Poems, Mercury: Edinburgh, 1720, p. 287.
(https://archive.org/stream/poemsbyallanrams00rams#page/286/mode/2up)

Date: 1720

By: Allan Ramsay (1686-1758)