Chapter 22

THE FIRST PART.I.FOrtune, cross-friend to ever-conquering Love,Our bodies, Lady, hath divided far;But yet our constant minds she cannot move,Which over-strong for her devices are.Woe's me! in England thou dost bide, and I,Scarce shadow of my self, in Italy.But let her do her worst, and what is frailAnd mortal seek to separate and undo;Yet what immortal is, she never shall!A string too high for her to reach unto.In spite of envious seeds, by malice sown,My heart shall aye be thine; and mine, thine own!Padoa.II.THoughI do part, my heart yet doth not part;My poor afflicted body parts in twain,And doth in pieces two divide my heart:One piece my fainting spirit doth sustain,The other part I leave with thee behind,(The better part, and of my heart most dear);Then to that part, so parted, be thou kind!And to the same impart thy loving cheer!That I, returning, may again uniteThis parted heart; and find for grief, delight.London.III.LIketo the blacksome Night, I may compareMy Mistress' gown, when darkness 'plays his prize:But her sweet face, like to the sun most fair;When he in glory 'ginneth to arise.Yet this no whit the other doth disgrace;But rather doubleth Beauty in the place.Contraries like to these set opposite,So dainty and so pleasing in their showTo lookers on, do breed no small delight;And pleasure great thereby to them doth grow.O wonder strange! O solace sweet! to seeIn one self subject, Night and Day to be.IV.IN the Egean dangerous Sea of Love,In midst of faithless waves and wicked wind;Where, to my cost, most bitter brunts I prove:A newArion, there, myself I find.And though, as he, I play on harp and sing;Yet cannot cunning mine so high aspireAs for to make the skipping fish me bringUnto that wishèd shore I so desire.Only myLaura, peerless for to see,May, in this troubled flood, my dolphin be!V.GReatwas the strife between the sun on highAnd my fair Sun, when first she 'gan to 'pear,Who should exceed in brightest majesty;And show in sight of spacious world most clear.The sun did shine; but she did lighten bright,And so his burning beams extinguished quite.Nay more, my Sun on sudden to the sunSent light; and yet no light at all did want:Where else the other had been quite undoneFor lack of brightness; which with him was scant.The beauty then the sun doth use to show,My Sun doth give; and from her, it doth grow.VI.TUrnedto a stone was he that did bewray,Unwitting, to the crafty thief himselfThe theft; not thinking he had stolen the prey,In hope to gain a little paltry pelf.So I, who unawares to cruel Thee,The robber of my heart, confessed the theft;A senseless stone likeBattusam to see:Only in this unlike that shape bereft,That where to worthless stone he turnèd was;I for a Touchstone true of Love do pass.VII.DOwnfrom the neck unto that dainty Breast,(Which Nature made a Mirror of Delight;And where a World of Beauties sweet do rest)Doth hang a costly Chain of Pearl most bright;And of proportion are so just and round,That such in India rich cannot be found.Besides, their orient brightness is alike;So that mine eyes are dazzled with the same,And, not much used to see so fair a sight(A sight which doth the sun in glory stain),Cannot discern, though them they both do see,If Breast be Pearl, or Pearl in Bosom be.VIII.TO give that life, which had not breath before;Prometheus, from above, stole heavenly fire:For which his boldness he was plaguèd sore,A just reward for such a high aspire.So whilst I steal from thee, my heaven above,The heat which doth revive my dying sprite:For rashness, mine eternal grief I prove.Yet, though our fault's all one—the plague's not like:He feels of vulture one, alone, the smart;But I have thousands, which still gnaw my heart.IX.LOve, being blind, hath wrought me damage sore;Thou, blind in this my loving, evil wast;Nor would I see the snare, being blind far more,Wherein myself, I did entangle fast.Yet hath this blindness harm done unto noneBut unto Beauty's buzzard, me alone.When blinded Boy did catch my harmless heart;Thou didst not see the net so intricateWhich bound me (being blind, blind as Thou art!)To be a thrall in this most wretched state.So that, alone to work my misery,Loveblind is; blind wert Thou; and blinder, I.X.IF,Laura, thou dost turn 'gainst me in hate;Then me, such busses sweet why dost thou give?Why check'st thou not the Cheeks which give the mate?The vital cause whereby I breathe and live?Perhaps it is, because through too much joy.As in sweet swound [swoon], I might away depart:If so thou do, and think me so to 'noy;Kiss hardly! and with kissing, breed my smart!Content am I to lose this life of mine;Whilst I do kiss that lovely lip of thine.XI.UPontriumphant chariot, 'passing rare,(In which my Sun doth sit like Majesty:And makes the day shew unto us more fair;Whose cheerfulness delights each mortal eye.)I, rash, like to anotherPhaeton,With hare-brain haste, too hasty lept thereon.But for my boldness dearly did I pay;And had like plague, as he, for being o'er-brave:Yet though in equal fortune both did stay(For life he lost; and death She to me gave);The punisher of both was not the same,For he, byJove; and I, byLove; was slain.XII.THebeauty, that in Paradise doth grow,Lively appears in my sweet goddess's Face;From whence, as from a crystal river, flowFavour divine and comeliness of grace.But in her dainty, yet too cruel, Breast,More cruelty and hardness doth abound;Than doth in painful Purgatory rest.So that, at once, She's fair, and cruel, found:When in her Face and Breast, ah, grief to tell!Bright Heaven she shows; and crafty, hides dark Hell.XIII.WHilstangryJuno, from the scowling skies,Thick swinging showers did downward send amain;My Lady, mounting up in stately wise,From heaven more fast did fiery lightning rain.So that the people, passing, had less harmBy water wet, than by the fire o'erwarm.The water only wet their outward skin;A matter small, in which was danger none:But this her fire did burn their hearts within;And forced them, as they went, to sigh and groan.So that their grief was greater, sans all doubt,To have within fire, than water, without.XIV.THeswift Meander, turning, winds so fast,And with his stream in circle-wise so runs;That, wanton-like, from whence he springs, at last,Back to his fountain-head again he comes.In me, a river huge of tears, from heartTo watery eyes ascend; from whence they flow,And running down, do from mine eyes depart,Descending to my heart again below.So that, through virtue of most mighty Love,In heart, a new Meander I do prove.XV.THoustranger, who with wand'ring steps dost wend,Thy gazing eyes turn quickly unto me!And to my speech, with list'ning ear attend!In whom four Elements united be.Mark well; and, as a wonder, tell the sameOfCupid's force! poor Lovers'Tamburlaine!First this my body's Earth, and earth most cold.The Fire within my heart, in covert lies.The Air's my sighs. Mine eyes do Waters hold.Thus for my Saint, he doth me martyrize.Earth is my body; (Strange seems not this same?)The Air, my sighs; eyes, Water; heart, the Flame.XVI.IF lovely Lass, for Fairing thine, of meGold, in this Fair, thou meanest for to have;Then give me of thy hairs! which golden be.Give unto me! since thou of me dost crave.Nor by this bargain, shalt thou loss sustain;Or ought hereby shalt hindered be, sweet Wench!Since I, to courteous thee, do give again,As thankful, gold; for gold in recompence.Thy treasure, so shall mine be; mine, as thine:Nor shall th' exchange be worse than gold most fine.XVII.ROckedin a cradle, like as infants be,When I was young, a little wanton child,Two dainty dugs did nourish life in me;Whilst oft on them, with teat in mouth, I smiled.Ah, happy I! thrice happy, might I say;Whilst in that harmless state I then did stay.But now that I am come to man's estate;Such dugs as nursed me in delight and joyDo seek my death, by poisonous sugared bait;Whose sight, without possession, breeds me 'noy.So what, in childhood, caused me to live;Now, in my youth, doth death unto me give.XVIII.IFSea, no other thing doth shew to beThan most unstable waters moving oft:With pardon, Lady, you this seem to me;So most unstable is your changing thought.I, likewise, hold a River, that o'erwhelmsWith wat'ry salt, within these eyes of mine.Then let us make a mixture 'mongst ourselvesOf this unsteadfastness and wat'ry brine!Let's fashion, both of us, a novel Sea!So heaven, the Haven; and Love, the Bay shall be.XIX.LAdy, the sun was inAquariusWhen thou wert born; which is the reason whyThe water of my plaints delight thee thus;Without once viewing me with piteous eye.But when as I was born, the Sign I guessInCancerwas; a show of my distress.This is the cause, within my boiling breastDoth burn a hot and unextinguished fire:But contrary these Signs in us do rest;Nor do they well accord to my desire.Far better had it been,Aquarius's SignHad happed to me; andCancer's had been thine!XX.WHattime, with brow, the Loveliest 'gins to scowl;Shewing disdain and fury in her face:Methinks I see the clouds wax dark and foul;And gloomy night begins to run his race.But, then again, when She to show beginsHer smiling cheer, adorned with favour rare:Straightways the sun, in chariot bright forth springs;Clear are the skies; the gladsome day, most fair.Thus, in one face, I see, against my will,The rising of the sun; and falling, still.XXI.RAnklethe wound did in my head apace;When fairest She, to play the Surgeon came:And whilst her snow-white hand did me the graceTo lay the plaster on, which healed the same,A wonder strange! No sooner did she touchThe hurt; but it appeared to be none such.Yet, woe is me, no sooner by that handWas healed in head my outward fest'ring wound;But that instead of that, as countermand,One mortal scar at inward heart I found.Thus,Love! thou seest is changèd my estateShe checks with Death, that 'fore gave Life for mate.Venice.XXII.IFin the midst of kindling burning fire,That worthy Roman burnt his valiant hand;I like anotherMutiusin desire,Have scorched my fist likewise, throughLove's command,In freshest moisture; where my Lady sweet,Her lily hands, for coolness, divèd oft.But though desire between us was alike;Yet was the matter diverse which we sought.He chose to burn his hand, with courage bold,In flaming fire; and I, in water cold.XXIII.THeGentiles used, in sign of sacrifice,The blood of men to offer; to appeaseThe warlike goddess's wrath, in humble wise;And through the same, her angry mind did please:But Thou, more wicked Warrior far than she,In reason may'st more cruel termed be.On Beauty's altar, to thee dedicate;Thousands of Lovers, mustering on a row,Offer their blood and hearts! yet mitigateThy hardened mind cannot: which flint doth show.Then is she cruel less than Thou art now:Since blood her pleased; and Thee hearts cannot bow.XXIV.FOrto behold my Sun, I from the sunDid seek my face to shadow with my hand,To shield me from the heat, that 'gan to comeIn place, where gazing on her I did stand.But I no sooner from that sun was free,But that, in that self instant and that time,I, of mine own Sun, found myself to beBurnt with the heat; a most unlucky sign.So whilst a shade from sun did me defend,A Sun more hot did hurt me in the end.XXV.WHitewas the orient pearl which, on a day,That hand me gave: which scorns the proud compareOf purest white; and bears the palm awayAs of all pearly Fairs, the orient'st fair.And whilst She offered unto me the same,I knew not which the Pearl was, of the twain.So white the hand was of my peerless PearlAs it did dazzle with delight mine eyes,And pearl seemed to me, giving me the pearl;Which made me, sighing, say in whisp'ring wise,"Ah, why once may I not so happy be,This Pearl to have; which th' other gives to me?"XXVI.WHenyou appear, appears the Break of Day;And shews to be most fair and passing bright:But if you keep yourself unseen away,The Day shows not; but keepeth out of sight.Then if again you 'gin yourself to show;Behold the Day to shew itself afreshWith sky most clear. So both of you do growIn beauty like: in heat nor are you less.Thus if your beams you ope, or hidden been:The Break of Day appears; else ne'er is seen.XXVII.JUstlyof thee, Love partial, I complainThat, at one instant and with one self stroke,Thou dartèd hast into my heart, with pain,Cold chilly frost; and fiery flaming smoke.Ay me! within me, both I secret hold:And whilst th' one burns me, th' other makes me cold.Then, Cruel, since thou wilt, two contraries,Against my soul, within my heart shall rest:Ah, yet make peace 'twixt them, in loving wise!Or else, sweet Love, do promise this at least!Flame to my frost, and water to my fire;Life to my heart, to comfort my desire.XXVIII.DIanashineth in the heavens clear;Because from purest Sun she takes her light:And Fair, she shews that ofDianahereOn Earth, doth borrow beauty passing bright.The virtue then that is infused in her,She fromDianahath; or else from none:For other thews do all in her concur;And unto her beholding are alone.O wonder strange of Nature to reveal!She,Dian'gives; yet doth fromDian'steal.Sienna.XXIX.AS burnished gold, such are my Sovereign's Hairs;A brace of stars divine, her blackish Eyes;Like to the fairest black the raven bears;Or fairer, if you fairer can devise.So likewise fair's the beauty of her Breasts;Where Pleasure lurks, where joy still dallying rests.ThisVenus'Bower, you rightly may compareTo whitest snow that e'er from heaven fell;Or to the mines of alabaster fair.Woe's me! 'Tis sweet to sleep inCupid's cell!Whilst he, the heart makes surfeit with delight;Through golden Hair, black Eyes, and Breast most white.XXX.UNtothy favour (which when Nature formed,She went beyond herself with cunning hand),I may compare what is, in world, adornedWith beauty most; and with most grace doth stand.But every mortal whiteness, ne'er so white,The ivory white of thy white hand exceeds:So that my soul, which doth fair whiteness like,Rests on fair whiteness, and on whiteness feeds.For this is thought, and hoped of from thee:White as thy hands, so white thy faith shall be.XXXI.LAdy, thou seemest likeFortuneunto me;When I most wistly mark, how thou dost goWith golden tresses loose (a joy to see!);Which gentle wind about thy ears doth blow.And as thou her resemblest in this sort;So dost thou in attire, and all thy port.Only thou wantest for thy swift right handThe rolling Wheel: and shadowing Veil to hideThose eyes; which, like Controllers, do command.But if thou long'st of these to be supplied,Take me, thy prisoner, for to play this part!For my desire's the Wheel, the Veil's my heart.XXXII.THou, merry, laugh'st, and pleasantly dost smile:I woeful weep, and mestful sorrow still;Lest this thy mirth increasing, me beguile,And weave a web for me of greater ill.Too well perceive I this thy deep disdain,By this thy feignèd looks and cloakèd glee.Thou of disaster mine art glad and fain;And fain my death, as basilisk, would'st see;Since that of war and 'bate this laughter is,And not of gentle peace and calmy bliss.XXXIII.SIncethou hast changed thy gown and thine attire;Ah, change thy thoughts! not always cruel be!And with new clothes, put on a new desire!That new, in every point, I may thee see:And if thou heretofore unkind hast been;Be courteous now, and gentle be thou seen!Thy glory great, thy praise more shalt thou find;If, of unconstant, constant thou become!And of a foe, a faithful friend and kind!Then change henceforth thy thoughts! else I, undone.Give me that colour which so likes mine eyen!If death, then black: if life, then carnatine [rosy red].XXXIV.CHangedis my nature in me; where beforeI like was to a chilly freezing ice;I now a flame am, burning inward sore:And such a flame that burneth in such wiseThat ifLoveand my Mistress take no careFor this my hurt, my soul must quickly die.Yet one doth see (for both not blinded are!)The fire so hot doth burn, wherein I fry,That fiercePerillus's boiling Bull of brassMay unto this for icy substance pass.XXXV.FArbetter had it been, I had been dead,And laid full low in latest home, my grave;Than with that drink myself for to have fed,WhichLauramine in crystal glass me gave.The liquor pleased me, I must needs confess:Yet to my heart, 'twas poison ne'ertheless.So that I had contrary quite effectTo my desire; which I so much did wish.Love was in fault, who Reason doth reject.And see my cruel luck, what happed in this!The wine was sweet; yet did his nature turn:It cooled my mouth, but heart within did burn.XXXVI.SWeetsang thy bird, in ebon cage shut fast,And did delight thy dainty ears so muchAs thou vouchsafedst to give him meat at last;And gently did his feathers stroke and touch.So, Lady, I likewise, in th' ebonyOf thy bright eyes am prisoner, and do singThy Beauty's praise; and yet not fed am IBy thee: yet live through thee; a wondrous thing!Love to my heart thy beauty doth supplyFor food; which else, through famine starved, would die.XXXVII.IF white's the Moon, thouLauraseem'st as white;And white's the gown which you on body wear.And if her whitely horns, in calmy night,She, smoothly gliding, shows to us most clear:You, in the daytime, more and brighter farYour beauty show; like brightAurora's star.Like brightness both of you abroad do cast;Though not effect alikeper accidens:You shine, she shines, your powers eternal last;But yet between you is great difference.Her brightness freezeth, causing deadly cold:Yours doth inflame, and lovely fire doth hold.XXXVIII.EVenas the lamp goeth out, that oil doth want,Or as the sun doth fall in th' Occident;So did my heart within me 'gin to pant;My vital spirits away by little went:When, taking on me pity, graciouslyMy Mistress's hem of garment, trailing down,Touched me; and me revivèd suddenly.Then if such virtue be within her gown;Imagine what doth stay her corpse within!Which who seeth, through sweetness needs must sin.XXXIX.SEatedon marble was my Lady blithe,Holding in hand a crystal looking-glass;Marking of Lovers thousands; who alive,Thanks only to her beauty rare, did pass.To pry in glasses likes her: but afterwardShe takes the nature of the stone most hard.For whilst she cheerfully doth fix her eyes,Gazing upon the brightness of the one;Her heart, by th' other's made, in strangy wise,Hard as a rock and senseless as a stone:So that if Love this breaketh not in twain;It will a flint become, to others' pain.XL.NO more a man, as once I was, am I:Since this newCirce, moved by fierce disdain,Hath changed me to a Fountain never dry;Wherein myself, with bitter tears I bain [?bathe].Then am I one who always eyes do bear;And breast of water flowing only full.Take heed, you Lovers all, of her! and fearThe sugared baits of this deceitful Trull!Lest by thisCircenew, you be deceived,As I have been; and be of shape bereaved.The Conclusion of the First Part.

FOrtune, cross-friend to ever-conquering Love,Our bodies, Lady, hath divided far;But yet our constant minds she cannot move,Which over-strong for her devices are.Woe's me! in England thou dost bide, and I,Scarce shadow of my self, in Italy.But let her do her worst, and what is frailAnd mortal seek to separate and undo;Yet what immortal is, she never shall!A string too high for her to reach unto.In spite of envious seeds, by malice sown,My heart shall aye be thine; and mine, thine own!Padoa.

II.

THoughI do part, my heart yet doth not part;My poor afflicted body parts in twain,And doth in pieces two divide my heart:One piece my fainting spirit doth sustain,The other part I leave with thee behind,(The better part, and of my heart most dear);Then to that part, so parted, be thou kind!And to the same impart thy loving cheer!That I, returning, may again uniteThis parted heart; and find for grief, delight.London.

III.

LIketo the blacksome Night, I may compareMy Mistress' gown, when darkness 'plays his prize:But her sweet face, like to the sun most fair;When he in glory 'ginneth to arise.Yet this no whit the other doth disgrace;But rather doubleth Beauty in the place.Contraries like to these set opposite,So dainty and so pleasing in their showTo lookers on, do breed no small delight;And pleasure great thereby to them doth grow.O wonder strange! O solace sweet! to seeIn one self subject, Night and Day to be.

IV.

IN the Egean dangerous Sea of Love,In midst of faithless waves and wicked wind;Where, to my cost, most bitter brunts I prove:A newArion, there, myself I find.And though, as he, I play on harp and sing;Yet cannot cunning mine so high aspireAs for to make the skipping fish me bringUnto that wishèd shore I so desire.Only myLaura, peerless for to see,May, in this troubled flood, my dolphin be!

GReatwas the strife between the sun on highAnd my fair Sun, when first she 'gan to 'pear,Who should exceed in brightest majesty;And show in sight of spacious world most clear.The sun did shine; but she did lighten bright,And so his burning beams extinguished quite.Nay more, my Sun on sudden to the sunSent light; and yet no light at all did want:Where else the other had been quite undoneFor lack of brightness; which with him was scant.The beauty then the sun doth use to show,My Sun doth give; and from her, it doth grow.

VI.

TUrnedto a stone was he that did bewray,Unwitting, to the crafty thief himselfThe theft; not thinking he had stolen the prey,In hope to gain a little paltry pelf.So I, who unawares to cruel Thee,The robber of my heart, confessed the theft;A senseless stone likeBattusam to see:Only in this unlike that shape bereft,That where to worthless stone he turnèd was;I for a Touchstone true of Love do pass.

VII.

DOwnfrom the neck unto that dainty Breast,(Which Nature made a Mirror of Delight;And where a World of Beauties sweet do rest)Doth hang a costly Chain of Pearl most bright;And of proportion are so just and round,That such in India rich cannot be found.Besides, their orient brightness is alike;So that mine eyes are dazzled with the same,And, not much used to see so fair a sight(A sight which doth the sun in glory stain),Cannot discern, though them they both do see,If Breast be Pearl, or Pearl in Bosom be.

VIII.

TO give that life, which had not breath before;Prometheus, from above, stole heavenly fire:For which his boldness he was plaguèd sore,A just reward for such a high aspire.So whilst I steal from thee, my heaven above,The heat which doth revive my dying sprite:For rashness, mine eternal grief I prove.Yet, though our fault's all one—the plague's not like:He feels of vulture one, alone, the smart;But I have thousands, which still gnaw my heart.

IX.

LOve, being blind, hath wrought me damage sore;Thou, blind in this my loving, evil wast;Nor would I see the snare, being blind far more,Wherein myself, I did entangle fast.Yet hath this blindness harm done unto noneBut unto Beauty's buzzard, me alone.When blinded Boy did catch my harmless heart;Thou didst not see the net so intricateWhich bound me (being blind, blind as Thou art!)To be a thrall in this most wretched state.So that, alone to work my misery,Loveblind is; blind wert Thou; and blinder, I.

IF,Laura, thou dost turn 'gainst me in hate;Then me, such busses sweet why dost thou give?Why check'st thou not the Cheeks which give the mate?The vital cause whereby I breathe and live?Perhaps it is, because through too much joy.As in sweet swound [swoon], I might away depart:If so thou do, and think me so to 'noy;Kiss hardly! and with kissing, breed my smart!Content am I to lose this life of mine;Whilst I do kiss that lovely lip of thine.

XI.

UPontriumphant chariot, 'passing rare,(In which my Sun doth sit like Majesty:And makes the day shew unto us more fair;Whose cheerfulness delights each mortal eye.)I, rash, like to anotherPhaeton,With hare-brain haste, too hasty lept thereon.But for my boldness dearly did I pay;And had like plague, as he, for being o'er-brave:Yet though in equal fortune both did stay(For life he lost; and death She to me gave);The punisher of both was not the same,For he, byJove; and I, byLove; was slain.

XII.

THebeauty, that in Paradise doth grow,Lively appears in my sweet goddess's Face;From whence, as from a crystal river, flowFavour divine and comeliness of grace.But in her dainty, yet too cruel, Breast,More cruelty and hardness doth abound;Than doth in painful Purgatory rest.So that, at once, She's fair, and cruel, found:When in her Face and Breast, ah, grief to tell!Bright Heaven she shows; and crafty, hides dark Hell.

XIII.

WHilstangryJuno, from the scowling skies,Thick swinging showers did downward send amain;My Lady, mounting up in stately wise,From heaven more fast did fiery lightning rain.So that the people, passing, had less harmBy water wet, than by the fire o'erwarm.The water only wet their outward skin;A matter small, in which was danger none:But this her fire did burn their hearts within;And forced them, as they went, to sigh and groan.So that their grief was greater, sans all doubt,To have within fire, than water, without.

XIV.

THeswift Meander, turning, winds so fast,And with his stream in circle-wise so runs;That, wanton-like, from whence he springs, at last,Back to his fountain-head again he comes.In me, a river huge of tears, from heartTo watery eyes ascend; from whence they flow,And running down, do from mine eyes depart,Descending to my heart again below.So that, through virtue of most mighty Love,In heart, a new Meander I do prove.

XV.

THoustranger, who with wand'ring steps dost wend,Thy gazing eyes turn quickly unto me!And to my speech, with list'ning ear attend!In whom four Elements united be.Mark well; and, as a wonder, tell the sameOfCupid's force! poor Lovers'Tamburlaine!First this my body's Earth, and earth most cold.The Fire within my heart, in covert lies.The Air's my sighs. Mine eyes do Waters hold.Thus for my Saint, he doth me martyrize.Earth is my body; (Strange seems not this same?)The Air, my sighs; eyes, Water; heart, the Flame.

XVI.

IF lovely Lass, for Fairing thine, of meGold, in this Fair, thou meanest for to have;Then give me of thy hairs! which golden be.Give unto me! since thou of me dost crave.Nor by this bargain, shalt thou loss sustain;Or ought hereby shalt hindered be, sweet Wench!Since I, to courteous thee, do give again,As thankful, gold; for gold in recompence.Thy treasure, so shall mine be; mine, as thine:Nor shall th' exchange be worse than gold most fine.

XVII.

ROckedin a cradle, like as infants be,When I was young, a little wanton child,Two dainty dugs did nourish life in me;Whilst oft on them, with teat in mouth, I smiled.Ah, happy I! thrice happy, might I say;Whilst in that harmless state I then did stay.But now that I am come to man's estate;Such dugs as nursed me in delight and joyDo seek my death, by poisonous sugared bait;Whose sight, without possession, breeds me 'noy.So what, in childhood, caused me to live;Now, in my youth, doth death unto me give.

XVIII.

IFSea, no other thing doth shew to beThan most unstable waters moving oft:With pardon, Lady, you this seem to me;So most unstable is your changing thought.I, likewise, hold a River, that o'erwhelmsWith wat'ry salt, within these eyes of mine.Then let us make a mixture 'mongst ourselvesOf this unsteadfastness and wat'ry brine!Let's fashion, both of us, a novel Sea!So heaven, the Haven; and Love, the Bay shall be.

XIX.

LAdy, the sun was inAquariusWhen thou wert born; which is the reason whyThe water of my plaints delight thee thus;Without once viewing me with piteous eye.But when as I was born, the Sign I guessInCancerwas; a show of my distress.This is the cause, within my boiling breastDoth burn a hot and unextinguished fire:But contrary these Signs in us do rest;Nor do they well accord to my desire.Far better had it been,Aquarius's SignHad happed to me; andCancer's had been thine!

XX.

WHattime, with brow, the Loveliest 'gins to scowl;Shewing disdain and fury in her face:Methinks I see the clouds wax dark and foul;And gloomy night begins to run his race.But, then again, when She to show beginsHer smiling cheer, adorned with favour rare:Straightways the sun, in chariot bright forth springs;Clear are the skies; the gladsome day, most fair.Thus, in one face, I see, against my will,The rising of the sun; and falling, still.

XXI.

RAnklethe wound did in my head apace;When fairest She, to play the Surgeon came:And whilst her snow-white hand did me the graceTo lay the plaster on, which healed the same,A wonder strange! No sooner did she touchThe hurt; but it appeared to be none such.Yet, woe is me, no sooner by that handWas healed in head my outward fest'ring wound;But that instead of that, as countermand,One mortal scar at inward heart I found.Thus,Love! thou seest is changèd my estateShe checks with Death, that 'fore gave Life for mate.Venice.

XXII.

IFin the midst of kindling burning fire,That worthy Roman burnt his valiant hand;I like anotherMutiusin desire,Have scorched my fist likewise, throughLove's command,In freshest moisture; where my Lady sweet,Her lily hands, for coolness, divèd oft.But though desire between us was alike;Yet was the matter diverse which we sought.He chose to burn his hand, with courage bold,In flaming fire; and I, in water cold.

XXIII.

THeGentiles used, in sign of sacrifice,The blood of men to offer; to appeaseThe warlike goddess's wrath, in humble wise;And through the same, her angry mind did please:But Thou, more wicked Warrior far than she,In reason may'st more cruel termed be.On Beauty's altar, to thee dedicate;Thousands of Lovers, mustering on a row,Offer their blood and hearts! yet mitigateThy hardened mind cannot: which flint doth show.Then is she cruel less than Thou art now:Since blood her pleased; and Thee hearts cannot bow.

XXIV.

FOrto behold my Sun, I from the sunDid seek my face to shadow with my hand,To shield me from the heat, that 'gan to comeIn place, where gazing on her I did stand.But I no sooner from that sun was free,But that, in that self instant and that time,I, of mine own Sun, found myself to beBurnt with the heat; a most unlucky sign.So whilst a shade from sun did me defend,A Sun more hot did hurt me in the end.

XXV.

WHitewas the orient pearl which, on a day,That hand me gave: which scorns the proud compareOf purest white; and bears the palm awayAs of all pearly Fairs, the orient'st fair.And whilst She offered unto me the same,I knew not which the Pearl was, of the twain.So white the hand was of my peerless PearlAs it did dazzle with delight mine eyes,And pearl seemed to me, giving me the pearl;Which made me, sighing, say in whisp'ring wise,"Ah, why once may I not so happy be,This Pearl to have; which th' other gives to me?"

XXVI.

WHenyou appear, appears the Break of Day;And shews to be most fair and passing bright:But if you keep yourself unseen away,The Day shows not; but keepeth out of sight.Then if again you 'gin yourself to show;Behold the Day to shew itself afreshWith sky most clear. So both of you do growIn beauty like: in heat nor are you less.Thus if your beams you ope, or hidden been:The Break of Day appears; else ne'er is seen.

XXVII.

JUstlyof thee, Love partial, I complainThat, at one instant and with one self stroke,Thou dartèd hast into my heart, with pain,Cold chilly frost; and fiery flaming smoke.Ay me! within me, both I secret hold:And whilst th' one burns me, th' other makes me cold.Then, Cruel, since thou wilt, two contraries,Against my soul, within my heart shall rest:Ah, yet make peace 'twixt them, in loving wise!Or else, sweet Love, do promise this at least!Flame to my frost, and water to my fire;Life to my heart, to comfort my desire.

XXVIII.

DIanashineth in the heavens clear;Because from purest Sun she takes her light:And Fair, she shews that ofDianahereOn Earth, doth borrow beauty passing bright.The virtue then that is infused in her,She fromDianahath; or else from none:For other thews do all in her concur;And unto her beholding are alone.O wonder strange of Nature to reveal!She,Dian'gives; yet doth fromDian'steal.Sienna.

XXIX.

AS burnished gold, such are my Sovereign's Hairs;A brace of stars divine, her blackish Eyes;Like to the fairest black the raven bears;Or fairer, if you fairer can devise.So likewise fair's the beauty of her Breasts;Where Pleasure lurks, where joy still dallying rests.ThisVenus'Bower, you rightly may compareTo whitest snow that e'er from heaven fell;Or to the mines of alabaster fair.Woe's me! 'Tis sweet to sleep inCupid's cell!Whilst he, the heart makes surfeit with delight;Through golden Hair, black Eyes, and Breast most white.

XXX.

UNtothy favour (which when Nature formed,She went beyond herself with cunning hand),I may compare what is, in world, adornedWith beauty most; and with most grace doth stand.But every mortal whiteness, ne'er so white,The ivory white of thy white hand exceeds:So that my soul, which doth fair whiteness like,Rests on fair whiteness, and on whiteness feeds.For this is thought, and hoped of from thee:White as thy hands, so white thy faith shall be.

XXXI.

LAdy, thou seemest likeFortuneunto me;When I most wistly mark, how thou dost goWith golden tresses loose (a joy to see!);Which gentle wind about thy ears doth blow.And as thou her resemblest in this sort;So dost thou in attire, and all thy port.Only thou wantest for thy swift right handThe rolling Wheel: and shadowing Veil to hideThose eyes; which, like Controllers, do command.But if thou long'st of these to be supplied,Take me, thy prisoner, for to play this part!For my desire's the Wheel, the Veil's my heart.

XXXII.

THou, merry, laugh'st, and pleasantly dost smile:I woeful weep, and mestful sorrow still;Lest this thy mirth increasing, me beguile,And weave a web for me of greater ill.Too well perceive I this thy deep disdain,By this thy feignèd looks and cloakèd glee.Thou of disaster mine art glad and fain;And fain my death, as basilisk, would'st see;Since that of war and 'bate this laughter is,And not of gentle peace and calmy bliss.

XXXIII.

SIncethou hast changed thy gown and thine attire;Ah, change thy thoughts! not always cruel be!And with new clothes, put on a new desire!That new, in every point, I may thee see:And if thou heretofore unkind hast been;Be courteous now, and gentle be thou seen!Thy glory great, thy praise more shalt thou find;If, of unconstant, constant thou become!And of a foe, a faithful friend and kind!Then change henceforth thy thoughts! else I, undone.Give me that colour which so likes mine eyen!If death, then black: if life, then carnatine [rosy red].

XXXIV.

CHangedis my nature in me; where beforeI like was to a chilly freezing ice;I now a flame am, burning inward sore:And such a flame that burneth in such wiseThat ifLoveand my Mistress take no careFor this my hurt, my soul must quickly die.Yet one doth see (for both not blinded are!)The fire so hot doth burn, wherein I fry,That fiercePerillus's boiling Bull of brassMay unto this for icy substance pass.

XXXV.

FArbetter had it been, I had been dead,And laid full low in latest home, my grave;Than with that drink myself for to have fed,WhichLauramine in crystal glass me gave.The liquor pleased me, I must needs confess:Yet to my heart, 'twas poison ne'ertheless.So that I had contrary quite effectTo my desire; which I so much did wish.Love was in fault, who Reason doth reject.And see my cruel luck, what happed in this!The wine was sweet; yet did his nature turn:It cooled my mouth, but heart within did burn.

XXXVI.

SWeetsang thy bird, in ebon cage shut fast,And did delight thy dainty ears so muchAs thou vouchsafedst to give him meat at last;And gently did his feathers stroke and touch.So, Lady, I likewise, in th' ebonyOf thy bright eyes am prisoner, and do singThy Beauty's praise; and yet not fed am IBy thee: yet live through thee; a wondrous thing!Love to my heart thy beauty doth supplyFor food; which else, through famine starved, would die.

XXXVII.

IF white's the Moon, thouLauraseem'st as white;And white's the gown which you on body wear.And if her whitely horns, in calmy night,She, smoothly gliding, shows to us most clear:You, in the daytime, more and brighter farYour beauty show; like brightAurora's star.Like brightness both of you abroad do cast;Though not effect alikeper accidens:You shine, she shines, your powers eternal last;But yet between you is great difference.Her brightness freezeth, causing deadly cold:Yours doth inflame, and lovely fire doth hold.

XXXVIII.

EVenas the lamp goeth out, that oil doth want,Or as the sun doth fall in th' Occident;So did my heart within me 'gin to pant;My vital spirits away by little went:When, taking on me pity, graciouslyMy Mistress's hem of garment, trailing down,Touched me; and me revivèd suddenly.Then if such virtue be within her gown;Imagine what doth stay her corpse within!Which who seeth, through sweetness needs must sin.

XXXIX.

SEatedon marble was my Lady blithe,Holding in hand a crystal looking-glass;Marking of Lovers thousands; who alive,Thanks only to her beauty rare, did pass.To pry in glasses likes her: but afterwardShe takes the nature of the stone most hard.For whilst she cheerfully doth fix her eyes,Gazing upon the brightness of the one;Her heart, by th' other's made, in strangy wise,Hard as a rock and senseless as a stone:So that if Love this breaketh not in twain;It will a flint become, to others' pain.

XL.

NO more a man, as once I was, am I:Since this newCirce, moved by fierce disdain,Hath changed me to a Fountain never dry;Wherein myself, with bitter tears I bain [?bathe].Then am I one who always eyes do bear;And breast of water flowing only full.Take heed, you Lovers all, of her! and fearThe sugared baits of this deceitful Trull!Lest by thisCircenew, you be deceived,As I have been; and be of shape bereaved.

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