ELICIO.
Whoso would fain the greatest beauty findThat was, or is, or shall be on the earth,The fire and crucible, where are refinedWhite chastity and purest zeal, all worth,Being, and understanding of the mind,A Heaven that in the world had its new birth,Loftiness joined in one with courtesy,Let him approach my shepherdess to see.
Whoso would fain the greatest beauty findThat was, or is, or shall be on the earth,The fire and crucible, where are refinedWhite chastity and purest zeal, all worth,Being, and understanding of the mind,A Heaven that in the world had its new birth,Loftiness joined in one with courtesy,Let him approach my shepherdess to see.
Whoso would fain the greatest beauty findThat was, or is, or shall be on the earth,The fire and crucible, where are refinedWhite chastity and purest zeal, all worth,Being, and understanding of the mind,A Heaven that in the world had its new birth,Loftiness joined in one with courtesy,Let him approach my shepherdess to see.
ERASTRO.
Let him approach my shepherdess to see,Whoso would tell the peoples of the sightThat he hath seen, a sun whose radiancyThe day illumined, than the sun more bright;How with her fire she chilleth, this can beMade known, and how the soul she sets alightWhich touched by her fair flashing eyes has been,That naught is left to see when they are seen.
Let him approach my shepherdess to see,Whoso would tell the peoples of the sightThat he hath seen, a sun whose radiancyThe day illumined, than the sun more bright;How with her fire she chilleth, this can beMade known, and how the soul she sets alightWhich touched by her fair flashing eyes has been,That naught is left to see when they are seen.
Let him approach my shepherdess to see,Whoso would tell the peoples of the sightThat he hath seen, a sun whose radiancyThe day illumined, than the sun more bright;How with her fire she chilleth, this can beMade known, and how the soul she sets alightWhich touched by her fair flashing eyes has been,That naught is left to see when they are seen.
ELICIO.
That naught is left to see when they are seen,This truth full well my wearied eyes do know,Eyes that unto my hurt so fair have been,The chief occasion of my bitter woe:I saw them, and I saw my soul thereinBurning, the spoils of all its powers aglow,Yielding in sweet surrender to their flame,Which doth me summon, banish, freeze, inflame.
That naught is left to see when they are seen,This truth full well my wearied eyes do know,Eyes that unto my hurt so fair have been,The chief occasion of my bitter woe:I saw them, and I saw my soul thereinBurning, the spoils of all its powers aglow,Yielding in sweet surrender to their flame,Which doth me summon, banish, freeze, inflame.
That naught is left to see when they are seen,This truth full well my wearied eyes do know,Eyes that unto my hurt so fair have been,The chief occasion of my bitter woe:I saw them, and I saw my soul thereinBurning, the spoils of all its powers aglow,Yielding in sweet surrender to their flame,Which doth me summon, banish, freeze, inflame.
ERASTRO.
She doth me summon, banish, freeze, inflame,She, the sweet enemy unto my glory,From whose illustrious life and being fameCan weave a strange, and yet a truthful story:Her eyes alone, wherein Love sets his claimTo power, and all his winsomeness before ye,Present a theme to raise to Heaven's heightA quill from any wing of lowly flight.
She doth me summon, banish, freeze, inflame,She, the sweet enemy unto my glory,From whose illustrious life and being fameCan weave a strange, and yet a truthful story:Her eyes alone, wherein Love sets his claimTo power, and all his winsomeness before ye,Present a theme to raise to Heaven's heightA quill from any wing of lowly flight.
She doth me summon, banish, freeze, inflame,She, the sweet enemy unto my glory,From whose illustrious life and being fameCan weave a strange, and yet a truthful story:Her eyes alone, wherein Love sets his claimTo power, and all his winsomeness before ye,Present a theme to raise to Heaven's heightA quill from any wing of lowly flight.
ELICIO.
A quill from any wing of lowly flight,If it would wish unto the sky to rise,The courtesy must sing, the zeal for right,Of this rare phœnix, peerless 'neath the skies,Our age's glory, and the world's delight,Of the clear Tagus and its bank the prize,Unequalled wisdom hers, and beauty rare,Nature achieved her highest work in her.
A quill from any wing of lowly flight,If it would wish unto the sky to rise,The courtesy must sing, the zeal for right,Of this rare phœnix, peerless 'neath the skies,Our age's glory, and the world's delight,Of the clear Tagus and its bank the prize,Unequalled wisdom hers, and beauty rare,Nature achieved her highest work in her.
A quill from any wing of lowly flight,If it would wish unto the sky to rise,The courtesy must sing, the zeal for right,Of this rare phœnix, peerless 'neath the skies,Our age's glory, and the world's delight,Of the clear Tagus and its bank the prize,Unequalled wisdom hers, and beauty rare,Nature achieved her highest work in her.
ERASTRO.
Nature achieved her highest work in her,In her the thought hath equal been to the art,In her both worth and grace united were,Which in all other maids are found apart,In her humility and greatness shareTogether side by side the self-same part,In her Love hath his nest and dwelling made,And yet my foe hath been the thankless maid.
Nature achieved her highest work in her,In her the thought hath equal been to the art,In her both worth and grace united were,Which in all other maids are found apart,In her humility and greatness shareTogether side by side the self-same part,In her Love hath his nest and dwelling made,And yet my foe hath been the thankless maid.
Nature achieved her highest work in her,In her the thought hath equal been to the art,In her both worth and grace united were,Which in all other maids are found apart,In her humility and greatness shareTogether side by side the self-same part,In her Love hath his nest and dwelling made,And yet my foe hath been the thankless maid.
ELICIO.
And yet my foe hath been the thankless maid,Who would, and could, and should at once my thoughtThat wanders free, hold fast, if but the aidOf one of her gossamer locks she sought;Though I within the narrow noose am laid,My capture is with so much pleasure fraught,That foot and neck I stretch out to the chain,Sweet is the name I call my bitter pain.
And yet my foe hath been the thankless maid,Who would, and could, and should at once my thoughtThat wanders free, hold fast, if but the aidOf one of her gossamer locks she sought;Though I within the narrow noose am laid,My capture is with so much pleasure fraught,That foot and neck I stretch out to the chain,Sweet is the name I call my bitter pain.
And yet my foe hath been the thankless maid,Who would, and could, and should at once my thoughtThat wanders free, hold fast, if but the aidOf one of her gossamer locks she sought;Though I within the narrow noose am laid,My capture is with so much pleasure fraught,That foot and neck I stretch out to the chain,Sweet is the name I call my bitter pain.
ERASTRO.
Sweet is the name I call my bitter pain,Short is the life and full of miseryOf the sad soul my frame doth scarce sustain,And sustenance doth scarce to it supply,To my brief hope that it the crown should gainOf faith, fortune once promised bounteously;What pleasure, good or glory doth he know,Where hope diminisheth and faith doth grow?
Sweet is the name I call my bitter pain,Short is the life and full of miseryOf the sad soul my frame doth scarce sustain,And sustenance doth scarce to it supply,To my brief hope that it the crown should gainOf faith, fortune once promised bounteously;What pleasure, good or glory doth he know,Where hope diminisheth and faith doth grow?
Sweet is the name I call my bitter pain,Short is the life and full of miseryOf the sad soul my frame doth scarce sustain,And sustenance doth scarce to it supply,To my brief hope that it the crown should gainOf faith, fortune once promised bounteously;What pleasure, good or glory doth he know,Where hope diminisheth and faith doth grow?
ELICIO.
Where hope diminisheth and faith doth grow,There one can see and know the lofty aimsThat loyal love proclaims; for he whose thoughtHath confidence but sought in love so pure,Of a reward secure and certain is,Which shall with truest bliss his soul delight.
Where hope diminisheth and faith doth grow,There one can see and know the lofty aimsThat loyal love proclaims; for he whose thoughtHath confidence but sought in love so pure,Of a reward secure and certain is,Which shall with truest bliss his soul delight.
Where hope diminisheth and faith doth grow,There one can see and know the lofty aimsThat loyal love proclaims; for he whose thoughtHath confidence but sought in love so pure,Of a reward secure and certain is,Which shall with truest bliss his soul delight.
ERASTRO.
The wretched suffering wight, whom illness swayethAnd with cruel anguish slayeth, is contented,When he is most tormented by his grief,With any small relief, though soon 'tis gone:But when more dull hath grown at last the pain,He calls on health, and fain would have it sound.Not otherwise is found the tender breastOf the lover oppressed with grievous sadness,Who says his pain doth gladness find herein,In that the light serene of the fair eyesTo which as spoil and prize he gave his days,Should on him truly gaze or feignedly;Soon as love sets him free and makes him strong,He seeks with clamorous tongue more than before.
The wretched suffering wight, whom illness swayethAnd with cruel anguish slayeth, is contented,When he is most tormented by his grief,With any small relief, though soon 'tis gone:But when more dull hath grown at last the pain,He calls on health, and fain would have it sound.Not otherwise is found the tender breastOf the lover oppressed with grievous sadness,Who says his pain doth gladness find herein,In that the light serene of the fair eyesTo which as spoil and prize he gave his days,Should on him truly gaze or feignedly;Soon as love sets him free and makes him strong,He seeks with clamorous tongue more than before.
The wretched suffering wight, whom illness swayethAnd with cruel anguish slayeth, is contented,When he is most tormented by his grief,With any small relief, though soon 'tis gone:But when more dull hath grown at last the pain,He calls on health, and fain would have it sound.Not otherwise is found the tender breastOf the lover oppressed with grievous sadness,Who says his pain doth gladness find herein,In that the light serene of the fair eyesTo which as spoil and prize he gave his days,Should on him truly gaze or feignedly;Soon as love sets him free and makes him strong,He seeks with clamorous tongue more than before.
ELICIO.
Now the fair sun sinks o'er the hill to rest,The growing gloom doth, best of friends, inviteUs to repose, the night is drawing nigh.
Now the fair sun sinks o'er the hill to rest,The growing gloom doth, best of friends, inviteUs to repose, the night is drawing nigh.
Now the fair sun sinks o'er the hill to rest,The growing gloom doth, best of friends, inviteUs to repose, the night is drawing nigh.
ERASTRO.
The village draweth nigh, for rest I long.
The village draweth nigh, for rest I long.
The village draweth nigh, for rest I long.