Whereas most women live this difficult life
  Merely in order not to die the death
  And take experience as they take their breath,
  Accepting backyards, travail, crusts, all naïf;
  And nothing greatly love, and nothing loathe---
  Others there are who seemingly forget
  That men build walls to shelter from the wet,
  For sustenance take meals, for comfort clothe.
  These must embellish every act with grace;
  These eat for savours; dress to show their lace;
  Suppose the earth for gardens; hands for nard.
  Now which you hold as higher than the other
  Depends, in fine, on whether you regard
  The poetess as nobler than the Mother.