Which is best? Heaven－1
Or only Heaven to come
With that old Codicil of Doubt?
I cannot help esteem
The "Bird within the Hand" 5
Superior to the one
The "Bush" may yield me
Or may not
Too late to choose again.
Or only Heaven to come
With that old Codicil of Doubt?
I cannot help esteem
The "Bird within the Hand" 5
Superior to the one
The "Bush" may yield me
Or may not
Too late to choose again.
(F.1021/J.1012)
[1] Heaven:: the supreme happiness.
[2] Heaven to come:: a wonderful marriage, hinted in line three.
[3] Codicil:: a supplement added to a will. Codicil of Doubt:: a doubt to inherit anything (after her husband's death).
[5] Bird:: a man (OED 1e); an exceptionally smart or accomplished person, frequently ironical (OED 4b). "Bird within the Hand":: get married.
[6] the one:: the person (with bushy beard).
[7] Bush:: a) bushy beard (OED bush 7b); b) countryside with bushes, not a home.
[7, 8] may yield me, may not:: without marriage and home.
[9] late, again:: she had chosen a man who cannot give her a home, and no second chance.