The wide waste places, and the hugy plain,
The wailings, shrieks, and sundry sorts of pain,

The sighs, the sobs, the deep and deadly groan,
Earth, air, and all, resounding plaint and moan.

Here puled the babes, and here the maids unwed
With folded hands their sorry chance bewailed;
Here wept the guiltless slain, and lovers dead,
That slew themselves when nothing else availed;
A thousand sorts of sorrows here, that wailed
With sighs, and tears, sobs, shrieks, and all yfere,
That, oh alas! it was a hell to hear.

245

250

We stayed us straight, and with a rueful fear
Beheld this heavy sight, while from mine eyes
The vapoured tears downstilled here and there;
And Sorrow eke, in far more woeful wise,
Took on with plaint, upheaving to the skies
Her wretched hands, that, with her cry, the rout
'Gan all in heaps to swarm us round about.

255

"Lo here," quoth Sorrow, "princes of renown, That whilom sat on top of Fortune's wheel, Now laid full low; like wretches whirlèd down,

Even with one frown, that stayed but with a smile.
And now behold the thing that thou, erewhile,

260

Saw only in thought; and what thou now shalt hear 265
Recount the same to kesar, king, and peer."

ANONYMOUS

ALE SONG

CHORUS-Back and side go bare, go bare,
Both foot and hand go cold;

1563.

But, belly, God send thee good ale enough,
Whether it be new or old.

I cannot eat but little meat,
My stomach is not good;

But sure I think that I can drink

With him that wears a hood.

5

And saith, "Sweetheart, I have take my part

Of this jolly good ale and old."

Now let them drink till they nod and wink,

Even as good fellows should do;

30

They shall not miss to have the bliss

Good ale doth bring men to.

And all poor souls that have scoured bowls,
Or have them lustily trowled,

God save the lives of them and their wives,
Whether they be young or old.

35

1566?

1575..

SIR PHILIP SIDNEY

EPITHALAMIUM

Let mother Earth now deck herself in flowers,
To see her offspring seek a good increase,
Where justest love doth vanquish Cupid's powers,
And war of thoughts is swallowed up in peace,

Which never may decrease,

5

But, like the turtles fair,

Live one in two, a well-united pair;
Which that no chance may stain,

O Hymen, long their coupled joys maintain!

O heav'n, awake! show forth thy stately face;
Let not these slumb'ring clouds thy beauties hide,
But with thy cheerful presence help to grace
The honest bridegroom and the bashful bride;
Whose loves may ever bide,
Like to the elm and vine,

ΙΟ

15

With mutual embracements them to twine;
In which delightful pain,

O Hymen, long their coupled joys maintain!

Ye Muses all, which chaste affects allow,
And have to Thyrsis showed your secret skill,
To this chaste love your sacred favours bow,
And so to him and her your gifts distill
That they all vice may kill,

And, like to lilies pure,

May please all eyes, and spotless may endure,
Where that all bliss may reign:

O Hymen, long their coupled joys maintain!

Ye nymphs which in the waters empire have,
Since Thyrsis' music oft doth yield you praise,
Grant to the thing which we for Thyrsis crave:
Let one time-but long first-close up their days,
One grave their bodies seize;

And like two rivers sweet,

When they, though diverse, do together meet,
One stream both streams contain:

O Hymen, long their coupled joys maintain!

Pan, father Pan, the god of silly sheep,
Whose care is cause that they in number grow,

Have much more care of them that them do keep-
Since from these good the others' good doth flow-
And make their issue show

40

In number like the herd

Of younglings which thyself with love hast reared,

Or like the drops of rain:

O Hymen, long their coupled joys maintain!

45

Virtue, if not a god yet God's chief part,
Be thou the knot of this their open vow,
That still he be her head, she be his heart;
He lean to her, she unto him do bow,

Each other still allow;

Like oak and mistletoe,

Her strength from him, his praise from her do grow:

50

In which most lovely train,

O Hymen, long their coupled joys maintain!

But thou, foul Cupid, sire to lawless lust,

55

Be thou far hence with thy empoisoned dart,

Which, though of glittering gold, shall here take rust,

Where simple love, which chasteness doth impart,

Avoids thy hurtful art,

Not needing charming skill

бо

Such minds with sweet affections for to fill;
Which being pure and plain,

O Hymen, long their coupled joys maintain!

All churlish words, shrewd answers, crabbed looks,

All privateness, self-seeking, inward spite,

65

All waywardness which nothing kindly brooks,

All strife for toys and claiming master's right,

Be hence aye put to flight;

All stirring husband's hate

'Gainst neighbors good, for womanish debate, Be fled, as things most vain:

70

O Hymen, long their coupled joys maintain!

All peacock pride, and fruits of peacock's pride,
Longing to be with loss of substance gay,
With retchlessness what may the house betide,
So that you may on higher slippers stay,
Forever hence away;

But, above all, away vile jealousy,

The evil of evils, just cause to be unjust:

How can he love, suspecting treachery?

How can she love, where love cannot win trust?

85

Go, snake, hide thee in dust,

Ne dare once show thy face

That they thy sting restrain:

Where open hearts do hold so constant place

O Hymen, long their coupled joys maintain!

90

The earth is decked with flowers, the heav'ns displayed,
Muses grant gifts, nymphs long and joinèd life,

Pan store of babes, virtue their thoughts well stayed,
Cupid's lust gone, and gone is bitter strife:

95

Happy man, happy wife!

No pride shall them oppress,

Nor yet shall yield to loathsome sluttishness,
And jealousy is slain;

For Hymen will their coupled joys maintain.

1580-83?

FROM

1598.

ASTROPHEL AND STELLA

I

Loving in truth, and fain in verse my love to show,

That she, dear she, might take some pleasure of my pain, Pleasure might cause her read, reading might make her

know,

Knowledge might pity win, and pity grace obtain,

5

I sought fit words to paint the blackest face of woe,
Studying inventions fine, her wits to entertain,
Oft turning others' leaves, to see if thence would flow
Some fresh and fruitful showers upon my sunburned brain.
But words came halting forth, wanting Invention's stay;
Invention, Nature's child, fled step-dame Study's blows;
And others' feet still seemed but strangers in my way.
Thus, great with child to speak, and helpless in my throes,
Biting my trewand pen, beating myself for spite,
"Fool!" said my Muse to me, "look in thy heart, and write!"

ΙΟ