Imatges de pàgina
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my réfeness

The only

matter.

The highly favour'd Joseph bore

To him that serv'd for her before;

And at her next birth much like thee,
Through pangs fled to felicity,
Far within the bosom bright
Of blazing Majesty and Light:

There with thee, new welcome saint,
Like fortunes may her soul acquaint;
With thee there clad in radiant sheen,
No marchioness, but now a queen.

SONNET I.

OH HIS BEING ARRIVED TO THE AGE OF 23.

(1631.)

How soon hath Time, the subtle thief of youth,
Stoln on his wing my three-and-twenti'th year!
My hasting days fly on with full career,
But my late spring no bud or blossom shew'th.
Perhaps my semblance might deceive the truth,
That I to manhood am arriv'd so near;
And inward ripeness doth much less appear,
That some more timely-happy spirits indu'th.
Yet be it less or more, or soon or slow,

It shall be still in strictest measure ev'n

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early continuall ro

To that same lot, however mean, or high,

Toward which Time leads me, and the will of Heav'n;

All is, if I have grace to use it so,

As ever in my great Task-Master's eye.

Consequence is

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To be set on a clock case.

FLY envious Time, till thou run out thy race,
Call on the lazy leaden-stepping hours,

Whose speed is but the heavy plummet's pace; per dulum.

And glut thyself with what thy womb devours,

Which is no more than what is false and vain,
And merely mortal dross;

So little is our loss,

So little is thy gain.

For when as each thing bad thou hast entomb'd,
And last of all, thy greedy self consum'd;

Then long Eternity shall greet our bliss

With an individual kiss; kiss from which we can

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longer

And joy shall overtake us as a flood; be divides, viceparable.

When every thing that is sincerely good

And perfectly divine,

With Truth, and Peace, and Love shall ever shine
About the supreme throne

Of him, t' whose happy-making sight alone,

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beatific viscous of.

When once our heav'nly-guided soul shall climb,1.684.
Then all this earthy grossness quit, /. s. all this earthly grossness
Attir'd with stars, we shall for ever sit, being left.

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Triumphing over Death, and Chance, and thee O Time.

AT A SOLEMN MUSIC.

BLEST pair of Sirens, pledges of Heav'ns joy,
Sphere-born harmonious sisters, Voice and Verse,
Wed your divine sounds; and mixt power employ
Dead things with inbreath'd sense able to pierce;

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And to our high-rais'd phantasy present should be concent,

That undisturbed song of pure content,

Aye sung before the sapphire-colour'd throne mord.
To him that sits thereon

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With saintly shout, and solemn jubilee;
Where the bright seraphim in burning row
Their loud up-lifted angel trumpets blow,
And the cherubic host in thousand quires
Touch their immortal harps of golden wires,

With those just spirits that wear victorious palms,
Hymns devout and holy psalms

Singing everlastingly:

That we on Earth with undiscording voice

May rightly answer that melodious noise;

IO

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music, of Nativity

As once we did, till disproportion'd sin til 97, Commerzy

Jarr'd against nature's chime, and with harsh din

Broke the fair music that all creatures made

To their great Lord; whose love their motion sway'd
In perfect diapason, whilst they stood

Lave-hot In first obedience, and their state of good.
used carvedly O may we soon again renew that song,
by many
And keep in tune with Heav'n, till God ere long
modern poets. To his celestial consort us unite, and

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To live with him, and sing in endless morn of light.

SONG ON MAY MORNING.

Now the bright morning-star, day's harbinger,
Comes dancing from the east, and leads with her
The flowry May, who from her green lap throws
The yellow cowslip, and the pale primrose.
Hail bounteous May that dost inspire
Mirth and youth, and warm desire;
Woods and groves, are of thy dressing,

Hill and dale, doth boast thy blessing;
Thus we salute thee with our early song,

And welcome thee, and wish thee long.

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1.5. bf. de Dew. 1441, Le grisar 26, Comine 978.

I of one

was a

TO THE NIGHTINGALE.

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heard the nightingale before the cuckor, then it for one's love,

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SONNET II.

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TO THE NIGHTINGALE.

O NIGHTINGALE, that on yon bloomy spray
Warbl'st at eve, when all the woods are still,
Thou with fresh hope the lover's heart dost fill,
While the jolly hours lead on propitious May;
Thy liquid notes that close the eye of day,'
First heard before the shallow cuckoo's bill,
Portend success in love; O if Jove's will
Have linkt that amorous power to thy soft lay,
Now timely sing, ere the rude bird of hate

Foretell my hopeless doom in some grove nigh:
As thou from year to year hast sung too late
For my relief, yet hadst no reason why;
Whether the Muse, or Love call thee his mate,
Both them I serve, and of their train am I.

L'ALLEGRO. Halu
Horton.

HENCE loathed Melancholy,

Of Cerberus, and blackest Midnight born,

In Stygian cave forlorn detested.

'Mongst horrid shapes, and shrieks, and sights unholy; Find out some uncouth cell, unknown.

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ΙΟ

Where brooding Darkness spreads his jealous wings, it

And the night-raven sings;

There under ebon shades, and low-brow'd rocks,

As ragged as thy locks,

In dark Cimmerian3 desert ever dwell.

But come thou goddess fair and free,

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erfections

In Heav'n yclep'd Euphrosyne, The Kendly) presides over
And by men, heart-easing Mirth; Aglain (the bright) and thalie

Whom lovely Venus at a birth
With two sister Graces more
To ivy-crowned Bacchus bore;

the blooming) are
siders.

The remaining

mythical people who

3 the binemeriaus (Odyssey)
and (Odyssey) were a
lives in perpetual mish, & on whom the

& on whom the sun never

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1.24. Curteys sche was, direct, and debonaire, konne Prestie, 6.51. This Emulge with Lerte debousive. To my totes Lale, 6., 1424. EARLY POEMS, 1624-1637.

lively

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Or whether (as some sager sing)

The frolic wind that breathes the spring,
Zephyr with Aurora playing,

As he met her once a-Maying,

There on beds of violets blue,

And fresh-blown roses washt in dew,
Fill'd her with thee a daughter fair,

So buxom, blithe, and debonair, courteous, gentle
Haste thee nymph, and bring with thee

Jest and youthful Jollity,

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Quips and cranks, and wanton wiles, the turns of wit.

Nods, and becks, and wreathed smiles,

Such as hang on Hebe's cheek,
And love to live in dimple sleek;
Sport that wrinkled Care derides,
And Laughter holding both his sides.
Come, and trip it as ye go
On the light fantastic toe,

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And in thy right hand lead with thee

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The mountain nymph, sweet Liberty;
And if I give thee honour due,
Mirth, admit me of thy crew,

To live with her, and live with thee,

In unreproved pleasures free; that cannot be to 40 proved,

To hear the lark begin his flight,
And singing startle the dull night,
From his watch-tow'r in the skies,
Till the dappled dawn doth rise;
Then to come in spite of sorrow,
And at my window bid good morrow,
Through the sweet-briar, or the vine,
Or the twisted eglantine.

While the cock with lively din,

Scatters the rear of darkness thin,
And to the stack, or the barn door,
Stoutly struts his dames before:

P.1.554.

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Oft list'ning how the hounds and horn
Cheerly rouse the slumbring Morn,

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