Give us that grand word ‘woman’ once again, <br />And let’s have done with ‘lady’: one’s a term <br />Full of fine force, strong, beautiful, and firm, <br />Fit for the noblest use of tongue or pen; <br />And one’s a word for lackeys. One suggests <br />The Mother, Wife, and Sister! One the dame <br />Whose costly robe, mayhap, gives her the name, <br />One word upon its own strength leans and rests; <br />The other minces tiptoe. Who would be <br />The perfect woman must grow brave of heart <br />And broad of soul to play her troubled part <br />Well in life’s drama. While each day we see <br />The ‘perfect lady’ skilled in what to do <br />And what to say, grace in each tone and act <br />(‘Tis taught in schools, but needs some native tact) , <br />Yet narrow in her mind as in her shoe. <br />Give the first place then to the nobler phrase, <br />And leave the lesser word for lesser praise.<br /><br />Ella Wheeler Wilcox<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/woman/
