Sire of Repentance! child of fond Desire! By the strange witchcraft of " anon!" FOR HOPE, [health! HOPE! of all ills that men endure, Thu manna, which from Heaven we eat, Thou strong retreat! thou sure-entail'd estate, Hope! thou first-fruits of happiness! Who out of Fortune's reach dost stand, Whilst, thee, her earnest-money, we retain, Whether she her bargain break, or else fulfil; Brother of Faith! 'twixt whom and thee The joys of Heaven and Earth divided be! Though Faith be heir, and have the fixt estate, Thy portion yet in moveables is great. Happiness itself's all one In thee, or in possession! Thine's the more hard and noble bliss: Than thou canst be, when thou dost miss; Men leave thee by obtaining, and straight flee Some other way again to thee; And that's a pleasant country, without doubt, To which all soon return that travel out, LOVE'S INGRATITUDE. I trerie thought, thou fond ingrateful sin! When first I let thee in, And gave thee but a part In my unwary heart, That thou would'st e'er have grown So false or strong to make it all thine own. At mine own breast with care I fed thee still, And daintily I nourish'd thee What ill returns dost thou allow ! I fed thee then, and thou dost starve me now. There was a time when thon wast cold and chill, Nor hadst the power of doing ill; Into my bosom did I take This frozen and benumbed snake, But now it stings that breast which made it warm, Straight will it choak up and devour Each wholesome herb and beauteous flower! Nay, unless something soon I do, 'Twili kill, I fear, my very laurel too. But now all's gone-I now, alas! complain, Declare, protest, and threat, in vain; Since, by my own unfore'd consent, The traitor has my government, And is so settled in the throne, That 'twere rebellion now to claim mine own, THE FRAILTY. KNOW 'tis sordid, and 'tis low, But, whilst this cursed flesh I bear, In vain, exceedingly in vain, I rage sometimes, and bite my chain; With teeth which ne'er will break it quite? COLDNESS. As water fluid is, till it do grow Solid and fixt by cold; So in warm seasons Love does loosely flow; A woman's rigour and disdain It melts, and glides apace into the sea, So the Sun's amorous play You may in vulgar loves find always this Of a more firin and perfect nature is ; ENJOYMENT. THEN like some wealthy island thou shalt lie, And like the sea about it, I; Thou, like fair Albion to the sailor's sight, As if like doves w' engender'd there: Nought shell my hands or lips control; That may secure thee; but thou 'ast yet from me A more infallible security; For there's no danger I should tell The joys which are to me unspeakable. SLEEP. In vain, thou drowsy god! I thee invoke ; Or passage of his spirits to choke, Whose flame's so pure that it sends up no smoke. To overflowings of the heart below. Thou, who dost men (as nights to colours do) Come, thou just god! and equal me In that condition let me lie, Till Love does me the favour shew: Love equals all a better way than you. Let her but grant, and then will I Thou scorn'st th' unhappy, and the happy,thee' BEAUTY. BEAUTY! thou wild fantastic ape, Who dost in every country chalige thy shape! Here black, there brown, here tawny, and there white; Thou flatterer! which comply'st with every sight! Thou Babel, which confound'st the eye With unintelligible variety! Who hast no certain what, nor where; But vary'st still, and dust thyself declare Inconstant, as thy she-professors are. Beauty! Love's scene and masquerade, So gay by well-plac'd lights and distance made; False coin, with which thr'impostor cheats us still; The stamp and colour good, but metal ili! Which light or base we find, when we Who dar'st not thine own home descry, Peauty! whose conquests still are made O'er hearts by cowards kept, or else betray'd; Weak victor! who thyself destroy'd must be When Sickness storms, or Time besieges thee' Thou unwholesome thaw to frozen age! Thou strong wine, which youth's fever dost enrage! Thou tyrant, which leav'st no man free! Thou subtle thief, from whom nought safe can be! Thou murderer, which hast kill'd, and devil, which would'st damn me! THE PARTING. As men in Greenland left beheld the Sun And thought upon the sad half-year With such swoln eyes my farewell took : Ah, those blest lands to which bright Thou dost fly! In vain the men of learning comfort me, And know that I the day have lost; I find to be but bears or foxes all. Return, return, gay planet of mine East, Of all that shines thou much the best! And, as thou now descend'st to sea, More fair and fresh rise up from thence to me! Thou, who in many a propriety, So truly art the Sun to me, Add one more likeness (which I'm sure you Then shall the world my noble ruin see, can) And let me and my sun beget a man! Some pity and some envy me; Then she herself, the mighty she, Shall grace my funerals with this truth; "'Twas only love destroy'd the gentle youth!", MY PICTURE. HERE, take my likeness with you, whilst 'tis so; If you upon this shadow smile, And absence so much alter me, This will the substance, I the shadow, be. THE MONOPOLY. WHAT mines of sulphur in my breast do lie, When from your well-wrought cabinet you take it, I have the trouble, not the gains, of it: And your bright looks awake it, Ah! be not frighted if you see For those are the first things that it will do. Who then shall but my picture's picture be. THE CONCEALMENT. No; to what purpose should I speak? No, wretched heart! swell till you break. And, to say truth, 'twere pity that she should. Since that lov'd hand this mortal wound does give, 'Tis nobler much for me, that I The censuring world will ne'er refrain Give me but the disposal of one dart, Deep into her bosom would I strike the dart, They flutter still about, inconstantly: Curse on thy goodness, whom we find Vain god! who women dost thyself adore! Thy broken arrows 'twixt that sex and ours THE DISTANCE. I'VE followed thee a year, at least, And never stopp'd myself to rest; To stars, which govern them above; She in it mends her pace as much as I. Hearts by Love strangely shuffled are, That there can never meet a pair! Tamelier than worms are lovers slain! The wounded heart ne'er turns to wound again. THE INCREASE. I THOUGHT, I'll swear, I could have lov'd no more Than I had done before; LOVE'S VISIBILITY...LOOKING ON HIS MISTRESS. But you as easily might account, Till to the top of numbers you amount, As cast up my love's score. Ten thousand millions was the sum; I'm sure her beauties cannot greater grow; A real cause at first did move ; But mine own fancy now drives on my love, By cyphers is increas'd eternally. LOVE'S VISIBILITY. WITH much of pain, and all the art I knew, Have I endeavour'd hitherto To hide my love, and yet all will not do. By hiding it, to teach that skill to me. 6 Love's of a strangely open, simple kind, But thinks none sees it 'cause itself is blind. Love of himself left there a part, * When through it he past into the heart. Or if by chance the face betray not it, But keep the secret wisely, yet, Like drunkenness, into the tongue 'twill get. LOOKING ON, AND DISCOURSING To look on Heaven with mighty gulphs between As her hard soul's aversion from my love. RESOLVED TO LOVE. I WONDER What the grave and wise Their mirth or anger move: 117 They understand not breath that words does want; Our sighs to them are insignificant. One of them saw me, th' other day, Touch the dear hand which I admire; My soul was melting straight away, And dropt before the fire: This silly wise-man, who pretends to know, Ask'd why I look'd so pale, and trembled so? Another, from my mistress' door Saw me with eyes all wat'ry come; Nor could the hidden cause explore, But thought, some smoke was in the room: Such ignorance from unwounded learning came; He knew tears made by smoke, but not by flame. If learn'd in other things you be, And have in love no skill, For God's sake keep your arts from me, Study or action others may embrace; My love's my business, and my books her face. These are but trifles, I confess, Which me, weak mortal! move; Nor is your busy seriousness Less trifling than my love: The wisest king, who from his sacred breast MY FATE. Go Lid the needle his dear North forsake, To which with trembling reverence it does bend; Go bid the stones a journey upwards make; Go bid th'ambitious flame no more ascend: And, when these false to their old motions prove, Then shall I cease thee, thee alone, to love. The fast-link'd chain of everlasting Fate Does nothing tie more strong than me to you; My fixt love hangs not on your love or hate, But will be still the same, whate'er you do: You cannot kill my love with your disdain: Wound it you may, and make it live in pain. Me, mine example, let the Stoics use, Their sad and cruel doctrine to maintain; Let all predestinators me produce, Who struggle with eternal bonds in vain: This fire I'm born to-but 'tis she must tell, Whether 't be beams of Heaven or flames of Hell. You, who men's fortunes in their faces read, To find out mine, look not, alas! on me; But mark her face, and all the features heed; For only there is writ my destiny: Or, if stars show it, gaze not on the skies But study the astrology of her eyes. If thou find there kind and propitious rays, What Mars or Saturn threaten I'll not fear; I well believe the fate of mortal days Is writ in Heaven; but oh, my heaven istacie. What can men learn from stars they scarce can see? Two great lights rule the world, and her two me, IT THE HEART-BREAKING. I thought that this some remedy might prove; Feels the whole pain of all my heart; Lives with that torment which the whole did kill. THE USURPATION. THOU 'adst to my soul no title or pretence; Till I had given myself to thee; In an elective monarchy. Part of my heart by gift did to thee fall; My country, kindred, and my best But thou, their covetous neighbour, draw'st out all: Nay more; thou mak`st me worship thee, And would'st the rule of my religion be: Did ever tyrant claim such power as you, To be both emperor and pope too? The public miseries, and my private fate, Deserve some tears; but greedy thou (Insatiate maid!) wilt not allow That I one drop from thee should alienate: Nor wilt thou grant my sins a part, Though the sole cause of most of them thou art; Counting my tears thy tribute and thy due, Since first mine eyes I gave to you. Thou all my joys and all my hopes dost claim; As men in Hell are from diseases free, Alas, alas! hope in vain My conquer'd soul from out thine hands to gain; Since all the natives there thou 'ast overthrown, And planted garrisons of thine own. MAIDENHEAD. THOD worst estate ev'n of the sex that 's worst ; A thing God thought for mankind so unfit, Art always scorch'd with hot desires, And fear'st the day's discovering eye! No wonder 'tis at all that thou should'st be Such tedious and unpleasant company, Who liv'st so melancholily! Thou thing of subtile, slippery kind, Which women lose, and yet no man can find! Although I think thou never found wilt be, Yet I'm resolv'd to search for thee; Yet things well worth his toil he gains; [walls; Thee, than a porter is his door. In vain to honour they pretend, Who guard themselves with ramparts and with Them only Fame the truly valiant calls, Who can an open breach defend. Of thy quick loss can be no doubt, Within so hated, and so lov'd without. IMPOSSIBILITIES. And a good end at last does give : Shall our own fortunes regulate; And to our stars themselves prescribe a fate. "Twould grieve me much to find some bold ro. |