Why dost thou pine within and suffer dearth,

7

Painting thy outward walls so costly gay?
Why so large cost, having so short a lease,
Dost thou upon thy fading mansion spend?
Shall worms, inheritors of this excess,
Eat up thy charge? is this thy body's end?
Then, soul, live thou upon thy servant's loss,
And let that pine to aggravate thy store; 10
Buy terms divine in selling hours of dross;
Within be fed, without be rich no more:
So shalt thou feed on Death, that feeds on
men,

And Death once dead, there's no more dying then.

6

I love to hear her speak, yet well I know That music hath a far more pleasing sound; I grant I never saw a goddess go;

10

My mistress, when she walks, treads on the ground:

And yet, by heaven, I think my love as rare As any she belied with false compare.

CXLVI

Poor soul, the center of my sinful earth, Thrall to these rebel powers that thee array,

Is she kind as she is fair?

One foot in sea and one on shore, To one thing constant never: Then sigh not so, but let them go, And be you blithe and bonny, Converting all your sounds of woe Into Hey nonny, nonny!

Sing no more ditties, sing no moe Of dumps so dull and heavy! The fraud of men was ever so,

Since summer first was leafy: Then sigh not so, but let them go, And be you blithe and bonny, Converting all your sounds of woe Into Hey nonny, nonny!

FROM TWELFTH NIGHT

O Mistress mine, where are you roaming?
O, stay and hear; your true love's coming,
That can sing both high and low:
Trip no further, pretty sweeting,
Journeys end in lovers meeting,

Every wise man's son doth know.

What is love? 't is not hereafter;
Present mirth hath present laughter;
What's to come is still unsure:
In delay there lies no plenty;
Then come kiss me, sweet and twenty,
Youth's a stuff will not endure.

FROM MEASURE FOR MEASURE

Take, O, take those lips away,
That so sweetly were forsworn;
And those eyes, the break of day,
Lights that do mislead the morn:
But my kisses bring again,

Bring again;
Seals of love, but sealed in vain,

5

ΤΟ

15

5

10

Sealed in vain!

FROM CYMBELINE

Fear no more the frown o' th' great; Thou art past the tyrant's stroke; Care no more to clothe and eat;

To thee the reed is as the oak: The Scepter, Learning, Physic, must All follow this, and come to dust. Fear no more the lightning-flash, Nor th' all-dreaded thunder-stone; Fear not slander, censure rash;

Thou hast finished joy and moan: All lovers young, all lovers must Consign to thee, and come to dust.

No exorciser harm thee!

Nor no witchcraft charm thee! Ghost unlaid forbear thee!

Nothing ill come near thee! Quiet consummation have; And renownèd be thy grave!

FROM THE TEMPEST
ARIEL'S SONG

Full fathom five thy father lies:
Of his bones are coral made;

Those are pearls that were his eyes;
Nothing of him that doth fade

But doth suffer a sea-change
Into something rich and strange.
Sea-nymphs hourly ring his knell:

Ding-dong!

10

15

20

5

Thus with many a pretty oath,
Yea and nay, and faith and troth,
Such as silly shepherds use
When they will not love abuse,
Love which had been long deluded,
Was with kisses sweet concluded;
And Phyllida, with garlands gay,
Was made the Lady of the May.

N. BRETON

AS IT FELL UPON A DAY

As it fell upon a day,

In the merry month of May,

20

25

Senseless trees, they cannot hear thee;
Ruthless beasts, they will not cheer thee;
King Pandion he is dead,

All thy friends are lapped in lead;
All thy fellow birds do sing,
Careless of thy sorrowing;
Even so, poor bird, like thee,
None alive will pity me.

TO COLIN CLOUT

IGNOTO

Where fairest shades did hide her;

10

15

20

25

Beauty sat bathing in a spring,

5

The winds blew calm, the birds did sing,

The cool streams ran beside her.

My wanton thoughts enticed mine eye, To see what was forbidden,

5

This pleasant lily white,
This taint of roseate red,
This Cynthia's silver light,
This sweet fair Dea spread,

These sunbeams in mine eye,
These beauties make me die.

EARL OF OXFORD

THE HERDMAN'S HAPPY LIFE

What pleasure have great princes
More dainty to their choice
Than herdmen wild, who careless
In quiet life rejoice?

And fortune's fate not fearing,
Sing sweet in summer morning.

Their dealings plain and rightful,
Are void of all deceit;

They never know how spiteful
It is to kneel and wait

On favorite presumptuous,

Whose pride is vain and sumptuous.

All day their flocks each tendeth,
At night they take their rest,

More quiet than who sendeth

His ship into the east,

Where gold and pearl are plenty,
But getting very dainty.

For lawyers and their pleading,

They 'steem it not a straw;
They think that honest meaning,
Is of itself a law;

Where conscience judgeth plainly,
They spend no money vainly.
Oh, happy who thus liveth!

Not caring much for gold;

With clothing which sufficeth,

To keep him from the cold. Though poor and plain his diet, Yet merry it is and quiet.

OUT OF MR. BIRD'S SET SONGS

A NYMPH'S DISDAIN OF LOVE 'Hey, down, a down!' did Dian sing, Amongst her virgins sitting;

'Than love there is no vainer thing,

For maidens most unfitting.'

And so think I, with a down, down, derry.

When women knew no woe,

But lived themselves to please,

15

Doth suck his sweet;

Now with his wings he plays with me, Now with his feet.

15

20

25

20

And makes his pillow of my knee,

Men's feigning guiles they did not know, The ground of their disease.

Unborn was false suspect,

No thought of jealousy;
From wanton toys and fond affect,

6

10

Else I with roses every day

Will whip ye hence,

20

And bind ye, when ye long to play, For your offence.