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A secular bird ages of lives.'

MAN. Come, come, no time for lamentation now,
Nor much more cause: Samson hath quit himself
Like Samson, and heroically hath finished

A life heroic, on his enemies

Fully revenged, hath left them years of mourning,
And lamentation to the sons of Caphtor2
Through all Philistian bounds. To Israel
Honour hath left and freedom, let but them
Find courage to lay hold on this occasion;
To himself and father's house eternal fame;
And, which is best and happiest yet, all this
With GOD not parted from him, as was fear'd,
But favouring and assisting to the end.
Nothing is here for tears, nothing to wail
Or knock the breast, no weakness, no contempt,
Dispraise, or blame, nothing but well and fair,
And what may quiet us in a death so noble.
Let us go find the body where it lies

Soak'd in his enemies' blood, and from the stream
With lavers ›ure and cleansing herbs wash off
The clotted ore. I, with what speed the while,
(Gaza is no in plight to say us nay,)

Will send for all my kindred, all my friends,
To fetch him hence, and solemnly attend

With silent obsequy and funeral train

Home to his father's house: there will I build him

A monument, and plant it round with shade
Of laurel ever green, and branching palm,
With all his trophies hung, and acts inroll'd
In copious legend, or sweet lyric song.
Thither shall all the valiant youth resort,
And from his memory inflame their breasts
To matchless valour and adventures high:
The virgins also shall on feastful days

1 The Phoenix; supposed to make n funeral pile of sweet-scented woods, and fan it to a flame with her wings; from her ashes rose another phoenix, sole of its kind always. The phoenix

was considered an emblem of the resurrection.

1 The Philistines are called the sons of Caphtor because they came originally from the island of Caphtor, or Crete.

Visit his tomb with flowers, only bewailing
His lot unfortunate in nuptial choice,
From whence captivity and loss of eyes.
CHOR. All is best, though we oft doubt,
What th' unsearchable dispose

Of Highest Wisdom brings about,
And ever best found in the close.

Oft He seems to hide His face,

But unexpectedly returns,

And to His faithful champion hath in place Bore witness gloriously; whence Gaza mourns And all that band them to resist

His uncontrollable intent:

His servants He, with new acquist

Of true experience from this great event,
With peace and consolation hath dismiss'd,
And calm of mind, all passion spent.

Sonnets and Canzone.

I.

TO THE NIGHTINGALE.

O NIGHTINGALE, that on yon bloomy spray
Warblest 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 link'd 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.

II.

DONNA leggiadra il cui bel nome honora
L'herbosa val di Rheno, e il nobil varco,
Bene è colui d'ogni valore scarco
Qual tuo spirto gentil non innamora;
Che dolcemente mostra si di fuora
De sui atti soavi giamai parco,

E i don', che son d'amor saette ed arco,
La onde l'alta tua virtù s'infiora.

A superstition, which originated in Chaucer's "Cuckowe and Nightingale." "But as I lay this othir night waking, I thought how lovers had a tokining, And among 'hem it was a commerne tale

That it were gode to here the Nightingale

Moche rathir than the leudè Cuckowe singe.

Cuckowe and Nightingale.

Stanza 10.

Quando tu vaga parli, o lieta canti
Che mover possa duro alpestre legno
Guardi ciascun agli occhi, ed agli orecchi
L'entrata, chi di te si truova indegno;
Grazia sola di sugli vaglia, inanti
Che'l disio amoroso al cuor s'invecchi.

III.

QUAL in colle aspro, al imbrunir di sera
L'avezza giovinetta pastorella

Va bagnando l'herbetta strana e bella
Che mal si spande a disusata spera
Fuor di sua natia alma primavera,

Cosi Amor meco insù la lingua snella Desta il fior novo di strania favella, Mentre io di te, vezzosamente altera, Canto, dal mio buon popol non inteso

E'l bel Tamigi cangio col bel Arno. Amor lo volse, ed io a l'altrui peso Seppi ch' Amor cosa mai volse indarno. Deh! foss' il mio cuor lento e'l duro seno A chi pianta dal ciel si buon terreno.

CANZONE.

RIDONSI donne e giovani amorosi
M'accostandosi attorno, e perche scrivi,
Perche tu scrivi in lingua ignota e strana
Verseggiando d' amor, e come t'osi?
Dinne, se la tua speme sia mai vana,
E de pensieri lo miglior t'arrivi;

Cosi mi van burlando, altri rivi
Altri lidi t'aspettan, ed altre onde
Nelle cui verdi sponde

Spuntati ad hor, ad hor a la tua chioma

L'immortal guiderdon d' eterne frondi Perche alle spalle tue soverchia soma? Canzon dirotti, e tu per me rispondi -Dice mia Donna, e'l suo dir è il mio cuore Questa è lingua di cui si vanta Amore.

IV.

DIODATI, e te'l dirò con maraviglia,
Quel ritroso io ch'amor spreggiar solea
E de suoi lacci spesso mi ridea

Gia caddi, ov'huom dabben talhor s'impiglia.
Ne treccie d'oro, ne guancia vermiglia
M'abbaglian sì, ma sotto nova idea
Pellegrina bellezza che'l cuor bea,
Portamenti alti honesti, e nelle ciglia
Quel sereno fulgor d'amabil nero,
Parole adorne di lingua piu d'una,
E'l cantar che di mezzo l'hemispero
Traviar ben puo la faticosa luna,

E degli occhi suoi avventa si gran fuoco
Che l'incerar gli orecchi mi fia poco,

PER certo i bei vostr' occhi, Donna mia
Esser non puo che non sian lo mio sole
Si mi percuoton forte, come ei suole
Per l'arene di Libia chi s'invia,

Mentre un caldo vapor (ne sentì pria)

Da quel lato si spinge ove mi duole,
Che forse amanti nelle lor parole
Chiaman sospir; io non so che si sia :
Parte rinchiusa, e turbida si cela

Scosso mi il petto, e poi n'uscendo poco
Quivi d' attorno o s'agghiaccia, o s'ingiela;
Ma quanto agli occhi giunge a trovar loco
Tutte le notti a me suol far piovose
Finche mia alba rivien colma di rose.

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