Графични страници
PDF файл
ePub
[ocr errors][merged small][merged small]

How happy was I, when I saw her lead
The Shepherds' daughters dauncing in a round?
How trimly would fhe trace and foftly tread
The tender grafs, with rofie garland crown'd?
And when she lift advaunce her heavenly voice,
Both nymphs and Mufes nigh fhe made aftown'd,
And flocks and fhepherds caufed to rejoyce.

"But now, ye fhepherd Laffes! who fhall lead
Your wandring troups, or fing your virelays?
Or who fhall dight your bowres, fith the is dead
That was the lady of your holy-days?
Let now your blifs be turned into bale,
And into plaints convert your joyous plays,
And with the fame fill every hill and dale.

"Let bagpipe never more be heard to fhrill,
That may allure the fenfes to delight,
Ne ever fhepherd found his oaten quill
Unto the many that provoke them might
To idle pleafance, but let ghaftliness
And dreary horror dim the chearful light,
To make the image of true heaviness;

"Let birds be filent on the naked spray, And fhady woods refound with dreadfull yells; Let ftreaming floods their hafty courses stay, And parching drouth dry up the crystal wells; Let th' earth be barren, and bring forth no flowres,

And the air be fill'd with noise of doleful knells, And wandering spirits walk untimely houres.

"And Nature, nurfe of every living thing, Let rest herself from her long weariness,

And when your maws are with thofe weeds cor

rupted,

Be ye the prey of wolves; ne will I rue
That with your carkaffes wild beasts be glutted.

"Ne worfe to you, my filly Sheep! I pray,
Ne forer vengeance with on you to fall
Than to my felf, for whofe confus'd decay
To careless Heavens I do daily call;
But Heavens refufe to hear a wretch's cry,
And cruel Death doth fcorn to come at call,
Or grant this boon that most defires to die.

"The good and righteous he away doth take,
To plague th' unrighteous which alive remain,
But the ungodly ones he doth forsake,
By living long to multiply their pain;
Elfe furely death fhould be no punishment,
As the great judge at firft did it ordain,
But rather riddance from long languishnient.

"Therefore, my Daphne, they have tane away,
For worthy of a better place was she,
But me unworthy willed here to stay,
That with her lack I might tormented be.
Sith then they fo have ordered, I will pay
Penance to her, according their decree,
And to her ghost do fervice day by day.

"For I will walk this wandering pilgrimage,
Throughout the world from one to other end,
And in affliction wafte my bitter age:
My bread fhall be the anguifh of my mind,
My drink the tears which from mine eyes do

rain,

My bed the ground that hardest I may find; So will i wilfully increase my pain.

"And she, my love that was, my faint that is, When the behelds from her celeftial throne (In which the joyeth in eternal blifs) My bitter penance, will my cafe bemone, And pity me that living thus to die; For heavenly fpirits have compaffion On mortal men, and rue their misery.

"So when I have with forrow fatisfide
Th' importune Fates, which vengeance on me
feek,

And th' heavens with long languor pacifide,
She for pure pity of my fufferance meek,
Will fend for me, for which I daily long,
And will till then my painful penance ekc.

And cease henceforth things kindly forth to bring, Weep, Shepherd! weep, to make my undersong.

But hideous monfters full of ugliness;
For the it is that hath me done this wrong,
No nurse, but stepdame, cruel, merciless.
Weep, Shepherd! weep, to make my underfong.

IV.

"My little flock, whom earst I lov'd fo well,
And wont to feed with finest grafs that grew,
Feed ye henceforth on bitter Astrofell,
And stinking smallage and unsavory rue;

V.

"Henceforth I hate whatever Nature made,
And in her workmanship no pleasure find,
For they be all but vain, and quickly fade;
So foon as on them blows the northern wind,
They tarry not, but flit and fall away,
Leaving behind them nought but grief of mind,
And mocking fuch as think they long will stay,

I hate the Heaven, becaufe it doth with-hold
Me from my love, and eke my love from me;
I hate the earth, because it is the mould
Of fleshly flime and frail mortality;
I hate the fire, because to nought it flies;
I hate the air, becaufe fighs of it be;
I hate the fea, because it tears fupplies.

"I hate the day, because it lendeth light
To fee all things, and not not my love to fee;
I hate the darkness and the dreary night,
Because they breed fad balefulness in me;
I hate all times, becaufe all times do fly
So fait away, and may not ftayed be,
But as a fpeedy pofl that paffeth by.

I hate to fpeak, my voice is fpent with crying; I hate to hear, loud plaints have dull'd mine cars; I hate to tafte, for food with-holds my dying; I hate to fee, mine eyes are dimm'd with tears; I hate to fmell, no fweet on earth is left; I hate to feel, my flesh is numm'd with fears; So all my fenfes from me are bereft.

"I hate all men, and fhun all womankind;
The one, because as I they wretched are;
The other, for because I do not find

My love with them that wont to be their ftar:
And life I hate, becaufe it will not laft;
And death 1 hate, because it life doth mar;
And all I hate that is to come or past.

*. So all the world, and all in it I hate,
Because it changeth ever to and fro,
And never ftandeth in one certain ftate,
But ftill unftedfaft, round about doth go
Like a mill-wheel, in midst of mifery,
Driven with ftreams of wretchednefs and woe,
That dying lives, and living flill does die.

So do I live, fo do 1 daily die,
And pine away in felf-confuming pain;
Sith the that did my vital powers fupply,
And feeble fpirits in their force maintain,
Is fetcht from me, why feck I to prolong
My weary days in dolour and difdain?
Weep, Shepherd! weep, to make my underfong.

VI.

"Why do I longer live in life's defpight,
And do not die then in defpight of death;
Why do I longer fee this loathfom light,
And do in darknefs not abridge my breath,
Sith all my forrow should have end thereby,
And cares find quiet? is it fo uneath
To leave this life, or dolorous to die?

"To live I find it deadly dolorous.
For life draws care, and care continual woe;
Therefore to die muft needs be joyous,
And wishful thing this fad life to foregoe:
But I muft ftay; I may it not amend,
My Daphne hence departing bade me fo;
She bade me stay till the for me did fend.

"Yet whilft I in this wretched vale do stay,
My weary feet fhall ever wandring be,
That ftill I may be ready on my way,
When as her meffenger doth come for me;
Ne will I reft my feet for feebleness,
Ne will I reft my limbs for fracity,
Ne will I reft mine eyes for heaviness,

"But as the mother of the gods, that fought
For fair Eurydice, her daughter dear,
Throughout the world, with woeful heavy thought,
So will I travel whilft I tarry here,
Ne will I lodge, ne will I ever lin,

Ne when as drouping Titan draweth near,
To loose his teem, will I take up my inn.

"Ne fleep (the harbenger of weary wights)
Shall ever lodge upon mine eye-lids more:
Ne fhall with reft refresh my fainting sprights,
Nor failing force to former ftrength restore;
But I will wake and forrow all the night
With Philomel my fortune to deplore;
With Philomel, the partner of my plight.

"And ever as I fee the ftar to fall,

And under ground to go to give them light
Which dwell in darkness, I to mind will call
How my fair flar (that fhin'd on me fo bright)
Fell fuddainly and faded under ground,
Since whofe departure day is turn'd to night,
And night without a Venus' ftar is found.

"But as foon as Day doth fhew his dewie face,
And calls forth men unto their toylfom trade,
I will withdraw me to fome darkfom place,
Or fome dear cave, or folitary fhade;
There will I figh, and forrow all day long,
And the huge burden of my cares unlade
Weep, Shepherd! weep, to make my underfong.

VII.

"Henceforth mine eyes fhall never more behold
Fair things on earth, ne feed on falfe delight
Of ought that framed is of mortal mould,
Sith that my faireft flowre is faded quight;
For all fee is vain and tranfitory,
Ne will be held in any fredfast plight,
But in a moment lose their grace and glory.

"And ye, fond Men! on Fortune's wheel that ride,
Or in ought under heaven repofe affurance,
Be it riches, beauty, or honour's pride,
Be fure that they shall have no long endurance,
But ere ye be aware will flit away;
For nought of them is yours, but th' only ufance
Of a fall time, which none as certain may.

"And ye, true Lovers! whom defaftrous chaunce
Hath far exiled from your ladies grace,
To mourn in forrow and fad fufferance,
When ye do hear me in that defert place
Lamenting loud my Daphne's elegy,
Help me to wail my miferable cafe.
And when life parts vouchlafe to close mine eye

And ye, more happy Lovers! which enjoy The presence of your dearest love's delight, When ye do hear my forrowful annoy, let pity me in your empaffion'd fpright, And think that fuch mishap, as chaunft to me, May happen unto the most happy wight, For all mens ftates alike unftedfaft be.

And ye, my fellow fhepherds! which do feed Your careless flocks on hills and open plains, With better fortune than did me fucceed, Lemember yet my undeserved pains; And when ye bear that I am dead or flain, ament my lot, and tell your fellow-fwains That fad Alcyon dy'd in life's difdain.

And ye, fair Damfels! shepherds' dear delights, That with your loves do their rude hearts poffess, Whenas my hearse shall happen to your fights, Touchfafe to deck the fame with cypress; and ever fprinkle brackish tears among, a pity of my undeferv'd distress,

he which I, wretch, endured have thus long.

And ye, poor Pilgrims! that with restless toyl Veary yourfelves in wandring defart ways, ill that ye come where ye your vows affoil, When paffing by ye read these woful lays In my grave written, rue my Daphne's wrong, and mourn for me that languifh out my days. eafe, Shepherd! cease, and end thy underfong."

Thus when he ended had his heavy plaint,
The heaviest plaint that ever I heard found,
His cheeks wext pale, and fprights began to faint,
As if again he would have fall'n to ground;
Which when I faw, (I stepping to him light)
Amooyed him out of his ftony fwound,
And 'gan him to recomfort as I might.

But he no way recomforted would be,
Nor fuffer folace to approach him nie,
But cafting up a fdeignful eye at me,
That in his traunce I would not let him lie,
Did rend his hair, and beat his blubbred face.
As one difpofed willfully to die,

That I fore griev'd to see his wretched case.

Tho when the pang was fomewhat over-past,
And the outrageous paffion nigh appeased,
I him defir'd, fith day was over-cast,
And dark night faft approached, to be pleased
To turn afide unto my cabinet,
And stay with me till he were better eased
Of that strong found which him fore befet.

But by no means I could him win thereto,
Ne longer him intreat with me to stay,
But without taking leave he forth did go
With staggering pace and difmal looks' difmay,
As if that Death he in the face had seen,
Or hellish hags had met upon the way;
But what of him became I cannot ween.

ASTROPHEL:

A PASTORAL ELEGY

Upon the death of the most noble and valorous knight,

SIR PHILIP SIDNEY.

Dedicated to the most beautiful and vertuous lady,

THE COUNTESS OF ESSEX.

Shepherds! that wont on pipes of oaten reed
Oft-times to plain your loves concealed smart,
And with your piteous lays have learn'd to breed
Compaffion in a country lass's heart,

Hearken, ye gentle Shepherds! to my song,
And place my doleful plaint your plaints emong.

To you
alone I fing this mournful verfe,
The mournful'ft verfe that ever man heard tell;
To you whose softned hearts it may empierce
With Dolour's dart, for death of Astrophel;
To you I fing, and to none other wight,
For well I wote my rymes been rudely dight.

Yet as they been, if any nicer wit
Shall hap to hear, or covet them to read,
Think he that fuch are for fuch ones most fit,
Made not to please the living but the dead ;
And if in him found pity ever place,
Let him be mov'd to pity such a cafe.

A GENTLE fhepherd, born in Arcady,
Of gentlest race that ever fhepherd bore,
About the graffy banks of Hæmony
Did keep his fheep, his little ftock and store :
Full carefully he kept them day and night
In faireft fields, and Aftrophel he hight.

Young Aftrophel! the pride of fhepherds' praife,
Young Aftrophel! the ruftick laffes love,
For paffing all the pastors of his days,
In all that feemly thepherds might behove;
In one thing only failing of the best,
That he was not fo happy as the rest.

[ocr errors]

or from the time that firft the nymph his mother lim forth did bring, and taught her lambs to feed,

flender fwain, excelling for each other
comely fhape, like her that did him breed,
e grew up faft in goodness and in grace,
nd doubly fair wox both in mind and face;

hich daily more and more he did augment
ith gentle ufage and demeanure mild,
hat all mens hearts with fecret ravishment
:ftole away, and weetingly beguil'd;

: Spight it felf, that all good things doth spill, und out in him that he could fay was ill.

is fports were fair, his joyance innocent,
reet without fowre, and honey without gall;
id he himself feem'd made for merriment,
errily masking both in bower and hall :
ere was no pleasure nor delightful play
en Aftrophel fo ever was away.

⚫he could pipe and dance, and carol sweet
ongst the shepherds in their fhearing feaft,
fommer's lark, that with her fong doth greet
dawning day, forth coming from the caft:
#layes of love he alfo could compose;
ice happy the whom he to praife did chofe.

I many maidens often did him woo

im to vouchfafe emongst his rimes to name,
nrake for them, as he was wont to do
her that did his heart with love inflame;
which they promised to dight for him
↑ chapelets of flowers and girlonds trim.

I many a nymph, both of the wood and brook, n as his oaten pipe began to fhrill,

h cryftal wells and fhady groves forfook, hear the charms of his enchanting skill, 1 brought him prefents, flowers if it were prime,

mellow fruit, if it were harvest-time.

,he for none of them did care a whit,
:wood-gods for them often fighed fore;
for their gifts, unworthy of his wit,
not unworthy of the country's ftore:
one alone he car'd, for one he figh'd,
life's defire, and his dear love's delight.

Iz the fair! the fairest ftar in sky, fair as Venus, or the fairest fair, fairer ftar faw never living eye)

ot her fharp-pointed beams through pureft air: r he did love, her he alone did honour,

s thoughts, his rimes, his fongs, were all upon

ber.

her he vow'd the service of his day, her he spent the riches of his wit, or her he made hymn, of immortal praife, only her he lung, he thought, he writ: er, and but her, of love be wordly dormed, or all the reft but little he attecmed. VOL. II.

Ne her with idle words alone he wooed,
And verfes vain, (yet verfes are not vain)
But with brave deeds to her fole fervice vowed,
And bold atchievements her did entertain;
For both in deeds and words he noutred was,
Both wife and hardy, (too hardy, alas!)

In wrestling nimble, and in running fwift;
In fhooting fteddy, and in fwimming strong:
Well made to frike, to throw, to leap, to lift,
And all the sports that shepherds are emong.
In every one he vanquifht every one,

He vanquifht all, and vanquifht was of none.

Befides, in hunting fuch felicity,

Or rather infelicity, he found,
That every field and foreft far away

He fought, where falvage beafts do most abound:
No beafts fo falvage but he could it kill,

No chace fo hard but he therein had skill.

Such skill, matcht with fuch courage as he had,
Did prick him forth with proud defire of praife
To feek abroad, of danger sought ydrad,
His miftrefs' name and his own fame to raife.
What needeth peril to be fought abroad,
Sith round about us it doth make aboad?

It fortuned as he that perilous game
In forein foil purfued far away,
Into a foreft wide and wafte he came,
Where ftore he herd to be of falvage prey:
So wide a foreft, and fo wafte as this,
Nor famous Ardeyn nor foul Arlo is.

There his well-woven toyls and fubtil trains
He laid, the brutish nation to enwrap;

So well he wrought with practice and with

pains,

That he of them great troups did foon entrap :
Fall happy man (mifweening much) was he,
So rich a fpoyl within his power to fee.

Eftfoones all heedlefs of his dearest hale,
Full greedily into the herd he thrust,

To flaughter them, and work their final bale,
Left that his toyl fhould of their troups be burft.
Wide wounds emongst them many a one he

made,

Now with his fharp-boar fpear, now with his biade.

His care was all how he them all might kill,
That none right fope (fo partial unto none)
Il mind, fo much to mind another's ill,
As to become unmindful of his own:
But pardon unto the cruel fkyes,

That from himfelf to them withdrew his eyes.

So as he rag'd emongst that beafly rout,
A cruel beaft of moft accu:fed brood,
Upon him turn'd (despair makes cowards ftou)
And with fell tooth, accustomed to blood,
Launced his thigh with fo mifchievous might,
That it both bone and mufcles rived quight.

[ocr errors]
« ПредишнаНапред »