The Inkbottle

Lyrics

Well of blackness, all defiling Full of flattery and reviling Ah, what mischief hast thou wrought Out of what was airy thought What beginnings and what ends Making and dividing friends! Colours of the rainbow lie In thy tint of ebony; Many a fancy have I found Bright upon that sombre ground; Cupid plays along the edge Skimming o'er it like a midge; Niobe in turn appears Thinning it with crystal tears False abuse and falser praise Falsest lays and roundelays! One thing, one alone, I think Never yet was found in ink; -- Truth lies not, the truth to tell At the bottom of this well!