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A Riddle

By Jonathan Swift

Topics: classic

I'm wealthy and poor,     I'm empty and full,     I'm humble and proud,     I'm witty and dull.     I'm foul and yet fair:     I'm old, and yet young;     I lie with Moll Kerr,     And toast Mrs. Long.     ANSWER, BY MR. F -    - R     In rigging he's rich, though in pocket he's poor,     He cringes to courtiers, and cocks to the cits;     Like twenty he dresses, but looks like threescore;     He's a wit to the fools, and a fool to the wits.     Of wisdom he's empty, but full of conceit;     He paints and perfumes while he rots with the scab;     'Tis a beau you may swear by his sense and his gait;     He boasts of a beauty and lies with a drab.

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"I'm wealthy and poor,..."

"A Riddle" is a quintessential example of Jonathan Swift's signature style... ### Why We Love This Line At Linespedia, we believe that poetry is the ultimate sanctuary for the soul...

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Author:Jonathan Swift

"I'm wealthy and poor,..." by Jonathan Swift

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Jonathan Swift

About Jonathan Swift

Jonathan Swift (1667–1745) was an Irish satirist, essayist, and poet. Best known for "Gulliver's Travels," his poetry includes "A Description of a City Shower" and "Verses on the Death of Dr. Swift." His sharp wit and moral indignation made him one of the greatest satirists in English.

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"The glass, by lovers' nonsense blurr'd,         Di..."

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