Yet Another Poser

Alexander’s Weekly Messenger, January 29, 1840, p. 2, col. 4  

 

Yet another Poser.

Our friend A. B. T., whose hieroglyphical puzzle we solved last week, has just sent us another. His note is as follows —

Mr. Alexander — I send you one more, and if you decypher it in your next, I must call you invincible.

¶ ¶ ! || † ¶.

? ¡ § ||   ¶   ¶( § ¶ † ,  ] §   ¡ § ! ¶ † § † ,

( † ( § ‡ ¶ ? || §  † § ¶ § † ‡ — ? ) — ;

¡ § ! —  ¿ † ( ¿ [ ¶ ¶ ¿ ¶ ! § ¶ † § ⊥ ,

§ ¡ § ! —   † ! ‡ ? §   ] ? ?  † § || † ! — .

A. B. T.

These characters to be sure have an ugly look about them — but we assure A. B. T. that the ugliness of the letters has nothing to do with the difficulty of solution. The translation is thus —

ACROSTIC.

Love’s a cheat, we overrate it,

Oh the false, deceitful joy;

Very nothing can create it —

Every trifle will destroy.