1
The silver Swan, who living had no Note,
When death approached unlocked her silent throat,
Leaning her breast against the reedy shore,
Thus sang her first and last, and sung no more.
Farewell all joys, O death come close mine eyes,
More Geese than Swans now live, more fools than wise.
2
Rest, sweet nymphs, let golden sleep
Charm your starbrighter eyes,
While my lute the watch doth keep
With pleasing sympathies.
Lullaby, lullaby,
Sleep sweetly, sleep sweetly,
Let nothing affright ye;
In calm contentments lie.
Dream, fair virgins of delight
And blest Elysian groves,
Whiles the wand'ring shades of night
Resemble your true loves.
Lullaby, lullaby,
Your kisses, your blisses,
Send them by your wishes
Although they be not night.
Thus, dear damsels, I do give
Goodnight, And so am gone.
With your hearts' desires long live,
Still joy and never moan.
Lullaby, lullaby,
Hath pleased you, and eased you,
And slumber sweet seized you.
And now to bed I hie.
3
Diaphenia, like the daffdowndilly,
White as the sun, fair as the lily,
Heigh ho, heigh ho, how I do love thee!
I do love thee as my lambs
Are beloved of their dams.
How blest were I if thou wouldst prove me.
Diaphenia, like the spreading roses,
That in thy sweets all sweets encloses,
Fair sweet, fair sweet, how I do love thee!
I do love thee as each flower
Loves the sun's lifegiving power,
For, dead, thy breath to life might move me.
Diaphenia, like to all things blessed,
When all thy praises are expressed,
Dear joy, dear joy, how I do love thee!
As the birds do love the Spring,
Or the bees their careful king.
Then in requite, sweet virgin, love me.
4
What is our life? A play of passion,
Our mirth the music of division,
Our mothers' wombs the tiring houses be,
Where we are dressed for this short Comedy,
Heaven the Judicious sharp spectator is,
That sits and marks still who doth act amiss,
Our graves that hide us from the searching Sun,
Are like drawn curtains when the play is done,
Thus march we playing to our latest rest,
Only we die in earnest, that's no jest.
5
Though Amaryllis dance in green
Like Fairie Queene,
And sing full clear,
Corinna can, with smiling cheer:
Yet since their eyes make heart so sore,
Hey Ho, 'chill1 love no more.
Love ye who list, I force him not,
Sith, God it wot2,
The more I wail,
The less my sighs and tears prevail:
What shall I do, but say therefore,
Hey ho, 'chill love no more.
1I shall
2knows
6
Ah! dear heart, why do you rise?
The light that shines comes from your eyes.
The day breaks not, it is my heart,
To think that you and I must part.
O stay, or else my joys will die
And perish in their infancy.
7
This sweet and merry month of May,
While Nature wantons in her Prime,
And birds do sing and beasts do play,
For pleasure of the joyful time:
I choose the first for holiday,
And greet Eliza with a rhyme.
O beauteous Queen of second Troy,
Take well in worth a simple toy.
8
Dainty fine bird, that are encaged there,
Alas, how like thine and my fortunes are!
Both prisoners be, and both singing thus,
Strive to please her that hath imprison'd us.
Only thus we differ, thou and I:
Thou Liv'st singing, but I sing and die.
9
Have I found her (Oh rich finding!)
Goddesslike for to behold
Her fair tresses seemly binding,
In a chain of pearl and gold?
Chain me, chain me, O most fair,
Chain me to thee with that hair!
10
O softly singing Lute,
See with my tears thou Time do keep!
Yet softly gentle strings,
Agree with love, that cannot sleep!
Sorrow hy'st when as it sings,
When tears do fall, then sighs arise,
So grief oft shines in most sad eyes,
Yea love through heart it dies.
11
Amyntas with his Phyllis fair,
In height of summer's Sun,
Grazed arm in arm their snowy flock,
And scorching heat to shun,
Under a spreading Elm sat down,
Where love's delightments done,
Down, down, dillie down, thus did they sing,
There is no life like ours,
No heaven on earth to shepherd's Cells,
No hell to Princely Bowers.
12
Retire my troubled soul, rest and behold,
Thy days of dolour, dangers manifold,
See life is but a dream, whose best contenting,
Begun with hope, pursued with doubt,
Enjoyed with fear, ends in repenting.
13
Upon a band with roses set about
Where pretty turtles joining bill to bill,
And gentle springs steal softly murmuring out,
Washing the foot of pleasures sacred hill.
There little Love sore wounded lies.
His bow and arrows broken,
Bedewed with tears from Venus' eyes.
O grievous to be spoken.
14
Out from the vale of deep despair,
With mournful tunes I fill the air,
To satisfy my restless ghost,
Which Daphne's cruelty hath lost;
O'er hills and dales in her dull ears,
I'll send my notes with bitter tears.
15
I smile to see how you devise
New masking nets my eyes to blear,
Yourself you cannot so disguise
But as you are you must appear.
Your privy winks at board I see,
And how you set your roving mind:
Yourself you cannot hide from me;
Although I wink, I am not blind.
The secret sighs and famed cheer
That oft cloth pain thy careful breast,
To me right plainly cloth appear,
I see in whom thy heart cloth rest.
And tho' thou makest a famed vow
That love no more thy heart should nip,
Yet think I know as well as thou
The fickle helm cloth guide the ship.
Therefore leave off thy wonted play,
But as thou art thou wilt appear,
Unless thou canst devise a way.
To dark the sun that shines so clear.
And keep thy friend that thou hast won,
In truth to him thy love supply,
Lest he at length, as I have done,
Take off thy bells, and let thee fly.
16
Benedicam Domino in omni tempore
Semper laud ejus in ore meo.
O Lord with all my heart and mind
I will give laud and praise to Thee.
Thou art so loving and so kind.
Thy majesty preserved me.
Therefore semper Tarts ejus in ore meo.
Let us give laud to God most high,
And for our Queen now let us pray,
That she may reign to God's glory,
Who may rejoice both night and day
To praise His name wherever we go,
Laus ejus in ore meo.
17
Lady, when I behold the roses sprouting,
Which clad in damask mantles deck the arbours,
And then behold your lips where sweet love harbours,
My eyes presents me with a double doubting.
For, viewing both alike, hardly my mind supposes
Whether the roses be your lips, or your lips the roses.
18
Adieu, sweet Amaryllis.
For since to part your will is,
O heavy tiding, here is for me no biding.
Yet once again, ere that I part with you,
Amaryllis, sweet adieu.
19
I always beg, yet never am relieved;
I grieve because my griefs are not believed.
I cry aloud in vain, my voice outstretched,
And get but this: mine Echo calls me wretched.
20
Thus Love commands that I in vain complain me,
And Sorrow will that she shall still disdain me.
Yet did I hope, which hope my life prolonged,
To hear her say: Alas, his love was wronged.
21
Oft have I vowed how dearly I did love thee,
And oft observed thee with all willing duty.
Sighs have I sent, still hoping to remove thee,
Millions of tears I tendered to thy beauty.
Yet thou, of sighs and silly tears regardless,
Suff'rest my feeble heart to pine with anguish,
Whilst all my barren hopes return rewardless,
My bitter days do waste and I do languish.
22
Come, shepherd swains, that wont to hear me sing,
Now sigh and groan.
Dead is my love, my hope, my joy, my spring,
Dead, dead and gone.
O she that was your Summer's Queen,
Your day's delight,
Is gone and will no more be seen;
O cruel spite!
Break all your pipes that wont to sound
With pleasant cheer,
And cast yourselves upon the ground
To wail my dear.
Come, shepherd swains, come nymphs, and all a-row,
To help me cry:
Dead is my Love. And, seeing she is so, Lo, now I die.
23
Was dight all in the treasures of Guiana.
And on her Grace a thousand Graces tended.
And thus sang they; Fair Queen of peace and plenty,
The fairest Queen of twenty.
Then with an olive wreath for peace renowned
Her virgin head they crowned.
Which ceremony ended
Unto her Grace the thousand Graces bended.
Then sang the shepherds and nymphs of Diana:
Long live fair Oriana.
24
Fair Oriana seeming to wink at folly,
Lay softly down to sleeping,
But hearing that the world was grown unholy
Her rest was turned to weeping.
So waked, she sighed and with crossed arms,
Sat drinking tears for other's harms.
Then sang the nymphs and shepherds of Diana,
Long live fair Oriana.