Or if it were, it bore not beauty’s name

127

Thy lovers withering, as thy sweet self grow’st.

my lovely boy

It is the star to every wandering bark

Love’s not Time’s fool

Then give me welcome, next my heaven the best, Even to thy pure and most most loving breast.

I have look’d on truth Askance and strangely

Incertainties now crown themselves assur’d, And peace proclaims olives of endless age.

And thou in this shalt find thy monument, When tyrants’ crests and tombs of brass are spent.

Can yet the lease of my true love control

William Shakespeare

And for they looked but with divining eyes, They had not skill enough your worth to sing: For we, which now behold these present days, Have eyes to wonder, but lack tongues to praise

wasted time

Fair, kind, and true, have often liv’d alone, Which three till now, never kept seat in one.

Like widow’d wombs after their lords’ decease

!

How like Eve’s apple doth thy beauty grow, If thy sweet virtue answer not thy show!

true

Thus have I had thee, as a dream doth flatter, In sleep a king, but waking no such matter.

others, for the breath of words respect, Me for my dumb thoughts, speaking in effect

The humble as the proudest sail doth bear

might

Without all bail

none

yellow leaves

on the ashes of his youth doth lie

Death’s second self

behold

But let your love even with my life decay; Lest the wise world should look into your moan, And mock you with me after I am gone.

fled

When I perhaps compounded am with clay, Do not so much as my poor name rehearse

Time’s best jewel

Since brass, nor stone, nor earth, nor boundless sea, But sad mortality o’ersways their power, How with this rage shall beauty hold a plea, Whose action is no stronger than a flower? O! how shall summer’s honey breath hold out, Against the wrackful siege of battering days, When rocks impregnable are not so stout, Nor gates of steel so strong but Time decays?

impregnable

iniquity

And for myself mine own worth do define, As I all other in all worths surmount.

glass

It is so grounded inward in my heart

Sin of self-love possesseth all mine eye And all my soul

my verse shall stand. Praising thy worth, despite his cruel hand

rarities

And Time that gave doth now his gift confound.

posterity

broils

Excusing thy sins more than thy sins are

Such civil war is in my love and hate

Myself corrupting, salving thy amiss

Authorizing thy trespass with compare

Full many a glorious morning have I seen Flatter the mountain tops with sovereign eye, Kissing with golden face the meadows green, Gilding pale streams with heavenly alchemy

But out! alack! he was but one hour mine,

Flatter the mountain tops with sovereign eye

But if the while I think on thee, dear friend, All losses are restor’d and sorrows end.

weep afresh love’s long since cancell’d woe

For thy sweet love remember’d such wealth brings That then I scorn to change my state with kings.

Haply

Yet in these thoughts my self almost despising

With what I most enjoy contented least

look upon myself

beweep

As an unperfect actor on the stage, Who with his fear is put beside his part

perfect ceremony

Till Nature, as she wrought thee, fell a-doting, And by addition me of thee defeated, By adding one thing to my purpose nothing. But since she prick’d thee out for women’s pleasure, Mine be thy love and thy love’s use their treasure.

master mistress

Him in thy course untainted do allow For beauty’s pattern to succeeding men.

I forbid thee one most heinous crime: O! carve not with thy hours my love’s fair brow

sweets

fleets

phoenix

keen

brood

So long as men can breathe, or eyes can see, So long lives this, and this gives life to thee.

temperate

And all in war with Time for love of you, As he takes from you, I engraft you new

To change your day of youth to sullied night

wasteful Time debateth with decay

this huge stage

contracted to

we desire increase

remember’d not to be

beguile

And summer’s green all girded up in sheaves, Borne on the bier with white and bristly beard,

summer’s green

erst

canopy

When I behold the violet past prime, And sable curls, all silvered o’er with white; When lofty trees I see barren of leaves, Which erst from heat did canopy the herd, And summer’s green all girded up in sheaves,

sable

prime,

should form another

Look in thy glass and tell the face thou viewest Now is the time that face should form another

Within thine own bud buriest thy content

mak’st

And only herald to the gaudy spring,

Why is “The Dark Lady” considered a woman, or could it be death?

.

.

A ramping Lyon rushed suddainly, Hunting full greedie after saluage blood; Soone as the royall virgin he did spy, With gaping mouth at her ran greedily, To haue attonce deuour’d her tender corse: But to the pray when as he drew more ny, His bloudie rage asswaged with remorse, And with the sight amazd, forgat his furious forse.

Faire Vna to the Redcrosse knight betrouthed is with ioy:

Soone as the terme of those six yeares shall cease,   Ye then shall hither backe returne againe, The marriage to accomplish vowd betwixt you twain.

 In which him chaunced false Duessa meete,   Mine onely foe, mine onely deadly dread,   Who with her witchcraft and misseeming sweete, Inueigled him to follow her desires vnmeete.

At last she chaunced by good hap to meet   A goodly knight, faire marching by the way   Together with his Squire, arayed meet

And to the knight his daughter deare he tyde, With sacred rites and vowes for euer to abyde. His owne two hands the holy knots did knit,   That none but death for euer can deuide

From thence, far off he vnto him did shew   A litle path, that was both steepe and long,   Which to a goodly Citie led his vew;   Whose wals and towres were builded high and strong   Of perle and precious stone, that earthly tong   Cannot describe, nor wit of man can tell

The knight and Vna entring, faire her greet,   And bid her ioy of that her happie brood;   Who them requites with court’sies seeming meet,   And entertaines with friendly chearefull mood.

Ere long they come, where that same wicked wight   His dwelling has, low in an hollow caue,   Farre vnderneath a craggie clift ypight,   Darke, dolefull, drearie, like a greedie graue,   That still for carrion carcases doth craue

So as they traueild, lo they gan espy   An armed knight towards them gallop fast,   That seemed from some feared foe to fly,   Or other griesly thing, that him agast.

Whom when his Lady saw, to him she ran   With hasty ioy: to see him made her glad,   And sad to view his visage pale and wan

The knight approching nigh, of him inquerd   Tydings of warre, and of aduentures new

Lo vnderneath her scornefull feete, was layne A dreadfull Dragon with an hideous trayne, And in her hand she held a mirrhour bright, Wherein her face she often vewed fayne, And in her selfe-lou’d semblance tooke delight

But this was drawne of six vnequall beasts, On which her six sage Counsellours did ryde,

And proud Lucifera men did her call, That made her selfe a Queene, and crownd to be, Yet rightfull kingdome she had none at all,

Her seeming dead he found with feigned feare, As all vnweeting of that well she knew, And paynd himselfe with busie care to reare Her out of carelesse swowne. Her eylids blew And dimmed sight with pale and deadly hew At last she vp gan lift: with trembling cheare Her vp he tooke, too simple and too trew, And oft her kist. At length all passed feare, He set her on her steede, and forward forth did beare.

Who whiles he liu’de, was called proud Sans foy, The eldest of three brethren, all three bred Of one bad sire, whose youngest is Sans ioy, And twixt them both was borne the bloudy bold Sans loy.

Borne the sole daughter of an Emperour, He that the wide West vnder his rule has, And high hath set his throne, where Tiberis doth pas. He in the first flowre of my freshest age, Betrothed me vnto the onely haire Of a most mighty king, most rich and sage; Was neuer Prince so faithfull and so faire, Was neuer Prince so meeke and debonaire; But ere my hoped day of spousall shone, My dearest Lord fell from high honours staire, Into the hands of his accursed fone, And cruelly was slaine, that shall I euer mone.

He then deuisde himselfe how to disguise; For by his mightie science he could take As many formes and shapes in seeming wise, As euer Proteus to himselfe could make: Sometime a fowle, sometime a fish in lake, Now like a foxe, now like a dragon fell, That of himselfe he oft for feare would quake, And oft would flie away. O who can tell The hidden power of herbes, and might of Magicke spell?

And after him she rode with so much speede As her slow beast could make; but all in vaine

All in amaze he suddenly vp start With sword in hand, and with the old man went; Who soone him brought into a secret part, Where that false couple were full closely ment In wanton lust and lewd embracement: Which when he saw, he burnt with gealous fire, The eye of reason was with rage yblent, And would haue slaine them in his furious ire, But hardly was restreined of that aged sire.

Forthwith he runnes with feigned faithfull hast Vnto his guest, who after troublous sights And dreames, gan now to take more sound repast, Whom suddenly he wakes with fearefull frights, As one aghast with feends or damned sprights, And to him cals, Rise rise vnhappy Swaine, That here wex old in sleepe, whiles wicked wights Haue knit themselues in Venus shamefull chaine; Come see, where your false Lady doth her honour staine.

KNIGHT OF THE RED CROSSE

turnd

to you bound

beguiled of her art

appease

procure

irkesome

vnknowne

disdainefull spight

redoubted

deare

frayes

languor

rew

Die is my dew

amate

that false winged boy

the blind God

Tho can

despight

vncouth

seruice

toy

Dame pleasures

vsage sly

hew

In sort as

ydle

Vna

sent

fancies

dryer

paine

rudely

swowne

doth steepe

Cynthia

euer damned

Cocytus

quakes

sad humour

For that old man of pleasing wordes had store, And well could file his tongue as smooth as glas; He told of Saintes and Popes, and euermore He strowd an Aue-Mary after and before.

edifyde

forwearied

Now (sayd the Lady) draweth toward night, And well I wote, that of your later fight Ye all forwearied be: for what so strong, But wanting rest will also want of might?

weare

mell

sits not

straunge

louting

malice

in shew

his booke

An aged Sire

to frend

vnkindly Impes

amazde,

remorse

raft

lin

ill bestedd

blacke as inke

sinke

seed

outwell

auale

parbreake

His Ladie seeing all, that chaunst, from farre Approcht in hast to greet his victorie, And said, Faire knight, borne vnder happy starre, Who see your vanquisht foes before you lye: Well worthy be you of that Armorie,

Deuoure their dam; on whom while so he gazd, Hauing all satisfide their bloudy thurst, Their bellies swolne he saw with fulnesse burst, And bowels gushing forth: well worthy end Of such as drunke her life, the which them nurst; Now needeth him no lenger labour spend, His foes haue slaine themselues, with whom he should contend.

That detestable sight him much amazde,

And sucked vp their dying mothers blood, Making her death their life, and eke her hurt their good

gobbets raw

paine

griefe

gall

Cride out, Now now Sir knight, shew what ye bee,

constraint

God helpe the man so wrapt in Errours endlesse traine.

traine

Tho

traine

gathered round