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Woulds't thou be loved? then let thy heart
From its present pathway part not —
Be every thing which now thou art
And nothing which thou art not:
So with the world thy gentle way [[ways]],
And unassuming beauty
Shall be a constant theme of praise,
And love — a duty.
E A P.
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Notes:
Elizabeth was Elizabeth Rebecca Herring, Poe's cousin. This poem was written in her album by Poe, probably about 1833. J. H. Whitty first printed this version of the poem in 1917. Mabbott apparently never saw the manuscript, and printed his text from Whitty's, adding an “s” to “way” based on later texts. Poe may have intended to write “ways” but left off the “s” in his haste.
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[S:0 - MS, about 1833 (Whitty, 1917)] - Edgar Allan Poe Society of Baltimore - Works - Poems - To Elizabeth (Text-01)