CXLVII. My love is as a fever, longing still For that which longer nurseth the disease; Angry that his prescriptions are not kept, And frantic mad with evermore unrest; My thoughts and my discourse as mad men's are, At random from the truth vainly express'd; For I have sworn thee fair, and thought thee bright, Who art as black as hell, as dark as night. 1 CXLVIII. Oh me! what eyes hath love put in my head, Love's eye is not so true as all men's: no, The sun itself sees not, till heaven clears. Oh cunning Love! with tears thou keep'st me blind, Lest eyes well-seeing thy foul faults should find. 1 Censures:' estimates. CXLIX. Canst thou, oh cruel! say I love thee not, Am of myself, all tyrant, for thy sake? That is so proud thy service to despise, Commanded by the motion of thine eyes? But, love, hate on, for now I know thy mind; Those that can see thou lov'st, and I am blind. CL. Oh, from what power hast thou this powerful might, With insufficiency my heart to sway? To make me give the lie to my true sight, And swear that brightness doth not grace the day? There is such strength and warrantise of skill, With others thou should'st not abhor my state; Partake:' take part. CLI. Love is too young to know what conscience is; Yet who knows not, conscience is born of love? Then, gentle cheater, urge not my amiss,1 Lest guilty of my faults thy sweet self prove. For thou betraying me, I do betray My nobler part to my gross body's treason; My soul doth tell my body that he may Triumph in love; flesh stays no further reason; But, rising at thy name, doth point out thee As his triumphant prize. Proud of this pride, He is contented thy poor drudge to be, To stand in thy affairs, fall by thy side. No want of conscience hold it that I call CLII. In loving thee thou know'st I am forsworn, When I break twenty? I am perjured most; And all my honest faith in thee is lost : For I have sworn deep oaths of thy deep kindness, Oaths of thy love, thy truth, thy constancy; And, to enlighten thee, gave eyes to blindness, Or made them swear against the thing they see; For I have sworn thee fair: more perjured I, To swear, against the truth, so foul a lie! 'Amiss:' fault. CLIII. Cupid laid by his brand, and fell asleep : A dateless lively heat, still to endure, And thither hied, a sad distemper'd guest, But found no cure; the bath for my help lies Where Cupid got new fire ;-my mistress' eyes. CLIV. The little love-god, lying once asleep, Laid by his side his heart-inflaming brand, Whilst many nymphs that vow'd chaste life to keep, Came tripping by; but in her maiden hand The fairest votary took up that fire Which many legions of true hearts had warm'd; And so the general of hot desire Was, sleeping, by a virgin hand disarm'd. This brand she quenchèd in a cool well by, Which from love's fire took heat perpetual, Growing a bath and healthful remedy For men diseased; but I, my mistress' thrall, Came there for cure, and this by that I prove, Love's fire heats water, water cools not love. MISCELLANEOUS. A LOVER'S COMPLAINT. 1 FROM off a hill whose concave womb re-worded 1 My spirits to attend this double voice accorded, 2 Upon her head a platted hive of straw, Which fortified her visage from the sun, 3 Oft did she heave her napkin to her eyne, That season'd woe had pelleted in tears, In clamours of all size, both high and low. 6 Re-worded:' echoed.- Conceited:' fanciful.-3 Laund'ring:' washing. Pelleted:' made into pellets. |