But thou, which lov'st to be Subtle to plague thyself, wilt say "Alas! if you must go, what's that to me? To your eyes, ears, and taste, and every part: Well, then, stay here: but know When thou hast said and done thy most, A naked thinking heart, that makes no show, How shall she know my heart? Or, having none, Practice may make her know some other part, Meet me in London, then, Twenty days hence, and thou shalt see Me fresher and more fat, by being with men, There to another friend, whom you shall find 175 THE GOOD MORROW I WONDER, by my troth, what thou and I Did, till we loved? were we not weaned till then? Or snored we in the Seven Sleepers' den? 'Twas so; but this, all pleasures fancies be; If ever any beauty I did see. Which I desired, and got, 'twas but a dream of thee. And now good-morrow to our waking souls, Which watch not one another out of fear; For love all love of other sights controls, My face in thine eye, thine in mine appears, Love so alike that none can slacken, none can die. 176 PRESENT IN ABSENCE ABSENCE, hear thou my protestation Against thy strength, Distance, and length; Do what thou canst for alteration: For hearts of truest mettle Absence doth join, and Time doth settle. Who loves a mistress of such quality, Beyond time, place, and all mortality. Absence is present, Time doth tarry. By absence this good means I gain, Where none can watch her, (K) HC XL 177 JOSHUA SYLVESTER LOVE'S OMNIPRESENCE WERE I as base as is the lowly plain, And you, my Love, as high as heaven above, Were I as high as heaven above the plain, Were you the earth, dear Love, and I the skies, Till heaven wax'd blind, and till the world were done. Whereso'er I am, below, or else above you, 178 WILLIAM ALEXANDER, EARL OF STIRLING [1567 (?)-1640] TO AURORA O IF thou knew'st how thou thyself dost harm, O if thy pride did not our joys controul, What world of loving wonders should'st thou see! 179 Then all my thoughts should in thy visage shine, No, I would have my share in what were thine: And whilst we thus should make our sorrows one, RICHARD CORBET [1582-1635] FAREWELL, REWARDS AND FAIRIES FAREWELL, rewards and fairies, Good housewives now may say, And though they sweep their hearths no less Yet who of late for cleanless Finds sixpence in her shoe? Lament, lament, old Abbeys, The Fairies' lost command! Who live as Changelings ever since For love of your demains. At morning and at evening both So little care of sleep or sloth When Tom came home from labour, Or Cis to milking rose, Then merrily went their tabor, And nimbly went their toes. Witness those rings and roundelays By which we note the Fairies A tell-tale in their company 180 THOMAS HEYWOOD [D. 1650 (?)] PACK, CLOUDS, AWAY PACK, clouds, away, and welcome day, Wings from the wind to please her mind, Notes from the lark I'll borrow; |