WITH A PAIR OF GLOVES LOST IN A WAGER by James Russell Lowell

A speaker loses a bet to a woman about whether the day will be sunny or rainy, then grins as he confesses that the whole thing was fixed — because she was the very reason for the sunshine they both basked in. It's a brief, clever love poem masquerading as a complaint about cheating. The punchline is that losing the bet was never a true loss.

Playful and warmly ironic, Lowell manages to keep a straight face just long enough for the compliment to hit even harder. There's a teasing, self-deprecating tone—he pretends to grumble about losing, but it's clear he's actually delighted. The whole interaction feels like it’s delivered with a grin.

James Russell Lowell wrote this poem in the mid-1800s, when short occasional verse—poems crafted for specific minor events or gifts—was a cherished and respected form. A Harvard grad, Lowell was a poet, critic, and diplomat who mingled with literary circles that valued both wit and elegance. This poem is part of a tradition of gallant verse that traces back through the English Cavalier poets to the Renaissance. The idea of a lover feeling "cheated" by the beloved's irresistible charm was a familiar one, but Lowell breathes new life into it by anchoring it in a specific, everyday wager rather than lofty romantic ideals. It was likely composed as an inscription or note to accompany the gloves, a common practice of the time.