The Lady’s Dressing Room

Jonathan Swift

1732

Edited by Jack Lynch

Five Hours, (and who can do it less in?)
By haughty Celia spent in Dressing;
The Goddess from her Chamber issues,
Array’d in Lace, Brocades and Tissues.	array’d = decked out

Strephon, who found the Room was void, [5]
And Betty otherwise employ’d;	Betty, typical maidservant’s name
Stole in, and took a strict Survey,
Of all the Litter as it lay;
Whereof, to make the Matter clear,
An Inventory follows here. [10]

And first a dirty Smock appear’d,	smock = undergarment
Beneath the Arm-pits well besmear’d.
Strephon, the Rogue, display’d it wide,
And turn’d it round on every Side.
On such a Point few Words are best, [15]
And Strephon bids us guess the rest;
But swears how damnably the Men lie,
In calling Celia sweet and cleanly.
Now listen while he next produces,
The various Combs for various Uses, [20]
Fill’d up with Dirt so closely fixt,
No Brush could force a way betwixt.	betwixt = between
A Paste of Composition rare,
Sweat, Dandriff, Powder, Lead and Hair;	lead was used as a cosmetic
A Forehead Cloth with Oyl upon’t [25]
To smooth the Wrinkles on her Front;	front = forehead
Here Allum Flower to stop the Steams,	allum flower = powded alum antiperspirant
Exhal’d from sour unsavoury Streams,
There Night-gloves made of Tripsy’s Hide,	Tripsy, typical lapdog’s name
Bequeath’d by Tripsy when she dy’d, [30]
With Puppy Water, Beauty’s Help	puppy water, moisturizer made from dead puppies
Distill’d from Tripsy’s darling Whelp;	whelp = puppy
Here Gallypots and Vials plac’d,	gallypots = jars
Some fill’d with washes, some with Paste,
Some with Pomatum, Paints and Slops, [35]	pomatum = hair cream
And Ointments good for scabby Chops.
Hard by a filthy Bason stands,	hard by = nearby
Fowl’d with the Scouring of her Hands;
The Bason takes whatever comes
The Scrapings of her Teeth and Gums, [40]
A nasty Compound of all Hues,
For here she spits, and here she spues.	spues = spews
But oh! it turn’d poor Strephon’s Bowels,
When he beheld and smelt the Towels,
Begumm’d, bematter’d, and beslim’d [45]
With Dirt, and Sweat, and Ear-Wax grim’d.
No Object Strephon’s Eye escapes,
Here Pettycoats in frowzy Heaps;	pettycoats = underwear; frowzy = messy
Nor be the Handkerchiefs forgot
All varnish’d o’er with Snuff and Snot. [50]
The Stockings, why shou’d I expose,
Stain’d with the Marks of stinking Toes;
Or greasy Coifs and Pinners reeking,	coifs and Pinners = night caps
Which Celia slept at least a Week in?
A Pair of Tweezers next he found [55]
To pluck her Brows in Arches round,
Or Hairs that sink the Forehead low,
Or on her Chin like Bristles grow.

The Virtues we must not let pass,
Of Celia’s magnifying Glass. [60]	glass = mirror
When frighted Strephon cast his Eye on’t
It shew’d the Visage of a Gyant.	visage = face
A Glass that can to Sight disclose,
The smallest Worm in Celia’s Nose,
And faithfully direct her Nail [65]
To squeeze it out from Head to Tail;
For catch it nicely by the Head,
It must come out alive or dead.

Why Strephon will you tell the rest?
And must you needs describe the Chest? [70]	must you needs = do you really have to
That careless Wench! no Creature warn her
To move it out from yonder Corner;
But leave it standing full in Sight
For you to exercise your Spight.
In vain, the Workman shew’d his Wit [75]
With Rings and Hinges counterfeit
To make it seem in this Disguise,
A Cabinet to vulgar Eyes;	vulgar = common
For Strephon ventur’d to look in,
Resolv’d to go thro’ thick and thin; [80]
He lifts the Lid, there needs no more,
He smelt it all the Time before.
As from within Pandora’s Box,	Pandora’s box, mythological source of all the world’s evils
When Epimetheus op’d the Locks,
A sudden universal Crew [85]
Of humane Evils upwards flew;
He still was comforted to find
That Hope at last remain’d behind;
So Strephon lifting up the Lid,
To view what in the Chest was hid. [90]
The Vapours flew from out the Vent,
But Strephon cautious never meant
The Bottom of the Pan to grope,
And fowl his Hands in Search of Hope.
O never may such vile Machine [95]	machine, any complex device
Be once in Celia’s Chamber seen!
O may she better learn to keep
“Those Secrets of the hoary deep!”

As Mutton Cutlets, Prime of Meat,
Which tho’ with Art you salt and beat, [100]
As Laws of Cookery require,
And toast them at the clearest Fire;
If from adown the hopful Chops
The Fat upon a Cinder drops,
To stinking Smoak it turns the Flame [105]
Pois’ning the Flesh from whence it came;
And up exhales a greasy Stench,
For which you curse the careless Wench;
So Things, which must not be exprest,
When plumpt into the reeking Chest; [110]	plumpt = dropped
Send up an excremental Smell
To taint the Parts from whence they fell.
The Pettycoats and Gown perfume,
Which waft a Stink round every Room.

Thus finishing his grand Survey, [115]
Disgusted Strephon stole away	stole = sneaked
Repeating in his amorous Fits,
Oh! Celia, Celia, Celia shits!

But Vengeance, Goddess never sleeping
Soon punish’d Strephon for his Peeping; [120]
His foul Imagination links
Each Dame he sees with all her Stinks:
And, if unsav’ry Odours fly,	unsav’ry = disgusting
Conceives a Lady standing by:	conceives = imagines
All Women his Description fits, [125]
And both Idea’s jump like Wits:
By vicious Fancy coupled fast,	fancy = imagination
And still appearing in Contrast.
I pity wretched Strephon blind
To all the Charms of Female Kind; [130]
Should I the Queen of Love refuse,
Because she rose from stinking Ooze?
To him that looks behind the Scene,
Statira’s but some pocky Quean.	pocky quean = diseased slut
When Celia in her Glory shows, [135]
If Strephon would but stop his Nose;
(Who now so impiously blasphemes
Her Ointments, Daubs, and Paints and Creams,
Her Washes, Slops, and every Clout,	clout = rag
With which he makes so foul a Rout;) [140]
He soon would learn to think like me,
And bless his ravisht Sight to see	ravisht = carried away
Such Order from Confusion sprung,
Such gaudy Tulips rais’d from Dung.

The Lady’s Dressing Room

Jonathan Swift

1732

Edited by Jack Lynch

Notes