Michael Drayton

"Why should your faire eyes with such soueraine grace,     Dispearse their raies on euery vulgar spirit,     Whilst I in darknes in the selfesame"

"Loue once would daunce within my Mistres eye,     And wanting musique fitting for the place,     Swore that I should the Instrument supply,"

"Muse, bid the Morne awake,         Sad Winter now declines,     Each Bird doth chuse a Make,         This day 's Saint VALENTINE'S;     For th"

"As other men, so I my selfe doe muse,     Why in this sort I wrest Inuention so,     And why these giddy metaphors I vse,     Leauing the path"

"Those priests which first the vestal fire begun,     Which might be borrowed from no earthly flame,     Devised a vessel to receive the sun,"

"You best discerned of my mind's inward eyes,     And yet your graces outwardly divine,     Whose dear remembrance in my bosom lies,     Too ric"

"My hart was slaine, and none but you and I,     Who should I thinke the murder should commit?     Since but your selfe, there was no creature by"

"Borrill.     Oh spightfull wayward wretched loue,     Woe to Venus which did nurse thee,     Heauens and earth thy plagues doe pro"

"Some Atheist or vile Infidell in loue,     When I doe speake of thy diuinitie,     May blaspheme thus, and say I flatter thee,     And onely wr"

"Many there be excelling in this kind,     Whose well trick'd rimes with all inuention swell,     Let each commend as best shall like his minde,"

"Looking into the glasse of my youths miseries,     I see the ugly face of my deformed cares,     With withered browes, all wrinckled with dispai"

"Stay, stay, sweet Time; behold, or ere thou passe     From world to world, thou long hast sought to see,     That wonder now wherein all wonders"

"In former times, such as had store of coyne,     In warres at home, or when for conquests bound,     For feare that some their treasures should"

"Since to obtaine thee, nothing me will sted,     I haue a Med'cine that shall cure my Loue,     The powder of her Heart dry'd, when she is dead,"

"Who list to praise the dayes delicious lyght,     Let him compare it to her heauenly eye,     The sun-beames to the lustre of her sight;     So"

"Stay, speedy time! Behold, before thou pass         From age to age, what thou hast sought to see,         One in whom all the excellencies be,"

"Sitting alone, loue bids me goe and write;     Reason plucks backe, commaunding me to stay,     Boasting that shee doth still direct the way,"

"Calling to mind since first my love begun,     Th'uncertain times, oft varying in their course,     How things still unexpectedly have run,"

"If in opinion of iudiciall wit,     Primaleons sweet Invention well deserue:     Then he (no lesse) which hath translated it,     Which doth hi"

"O thou vnkindest fayre! most fayrest shee,     In thine eyes tryumph murthering my poore hart,     Now doe I sweare by heauens, before we part,"

"Sitting alone, love bids me go and write;         Reason plucks back, commanding me to stay,         Boasting that she doth still direct the way"

"Nothing but no and I, and I and no,     How falls it out so strangely you reply?     I tell yee (Faire) Ile not be aunswered so,     With this"

"There's nothing grieves me but that age should haste,     That in my days I may not see thee old;     That where those two clear sparkling eyes"

"Since there's no help, come let us kiss and part,     Nay I have done, you get no more of me;     And I am glad, yea glad with all my heart,"

"In pride of wit, when high desire of fame     Gaue life and courage to my labouring pen,     And first the sound and vertue of my name,     Won"

"When like an eaglet I first found my love,     For that the virtue I thereof would know,     Upon the nest I set it forth to prove     If it we"

"To nothing fitter can I thee compare,     Then to the sonne of some rich penyfather,     Who hauing now brought on his end with care,     Leaue"

"Truce, gentle Love, a parley now I crave,     Methinks 'tis long since first these wars begun;     Nor thou, nor I, the better yet can have;"

"If chaste and pure deuotion of my youth,     Or glorie of my Aprill-springing yeeres,     Vnfained loue in naked simple truth,     A thousand v"

"Reade heere (sweet Mayd) the story of my wo,     The drery abstracts of my endles cares,     With my liues sorow enterlyned so;     Smok'd with"

"The golden Sunne vpon his fiery wheeles     The horned Ram doth in his course awake,     And of iust length our night and day doth make,     Fl"

"Wonder of Heauen, glasse of diuinitie,     Rare beautie, Natures joy, perfections Mother,     The worke of that vnited Trinitie,     Wherein ea"

"Most good, most faire,     Or Thing as rare,     To call you's lost;     For all the cost     Words can bestow,     So poorely show     Vpon"

"I ever love where never hope appears,         Yet hope draws on my never-hoping care,         And my life's hope would die but for despair;"

"Rare of-spring of my thoughts, my dearest Loue,     Begot by fancy on sweet hope exhortiue,     In whom all purenes with perfection stroue,"

"To this our world, to learning, and to heaven,         Three nines there are, to every one a nine;         One number of the earth, the other bo"

"Some misbelieving and profane in love,         When I do speak of miracles by thee,         May say that thou art flatterd by me,     Who only"

"Her lou'd I most,         By thee that 's lost,     Though she were wonne with leasure;         She was my gaine,         But to my paine,"

"With fools and children good discretion bears;         Then, honest people, bear with love and me,         Nor older yet nor wiser made by years"

"If euer wonder could report a wonder,     Or tongue of wonder worth could tell a wonder thought,     Or euer ioy expresse what perfect ioy hath"

"Whilst thus my pen strives to eternise thee,     Age rules my lines with wrinkles in my face,     Where in the map of all my misery     Is mode"

"Goe you, my lynes, Embassadours of loue,     With my harts tribute to her conquering eyes,     From whence, if you one tear of pitty moue     F"

"My hart the Anuile where my thoughts doe beate,     My words the hammers fashioning my desire,     My breast the forge, including all the heate,"

"Olde CHAVCER doth of Topas tell,     Mad RABLAIS of Pantagruell,     A latter third of Dowsabell,         With such poore trifles playing:"

"Oft taking pen in hand, with words to cast my woes,     Beginning to account the sum of all my cares,     I well perceiue my griefe innumerable"

"Tell me fayre flocke, (if so you can conceaue)     The sodaine cause of my night-sunnes eclipse,     If this be wrought me my light to bereaue,"

"Cupid, I hate thee, which I'de haue thee know,     A naked Starueling euer may'st thou be,     Poore Rogue, goe pawne thy Fascia and thy Bow,"

"With fooles and children good discretion beares,     Then honest people beare with Loue and me,     Nor older yet, nor wiser made by yeeres,"

"The Description of Elizium     A Paradice on earth is found,     Though farre from vulgar sight,     Which with those pleasures doth abound"

"Our floods' queen, Thames, for ships and swans is crowned,     And stately Severn for her shore is praised;     The crystal Trent for fords and"

"Priests of APOLLO, sacred be the Roome,     For this learn'd Meeting: Let no barbarous Groome,         How braue soe'r he bee,         Attempt"

"Not thy graue Counsells, nor thy Subiects loue,     Nor all that famous Scottish royaltie,     Or what thy soueraigne greatnes may approue,"

"Madame, to shew the smoothnesse of my vaine,     Neither that I would haue you entertaine     The time in reading me, which you would spend"

"Love, in a humour, played the prodigal,     And bade my senses to a solemn feast;     Yet more to grace the company withal,     Invites my hear"

"Douer, to doe thee Right, who will not striue,     That dost in these dull yron Times reuiue     The golden Ages glories; which poore Wee     H"

"Love, banished heaven, in earth was held in scorn,     Wand'ring abroad in need and beggary;     And wanting friends, though of a goddess born,"

"As other men, so I myself do muse     Why in this sort I wrest invention so,     And why these giddy metaphors I use,     Leaving the path the"

"Cupid, dumbe-Idoll, peeuish Saint of loue,     No more shalt thou nor Saint nor Idoll be;     No God art thou, a Goddesse shee doth proue,"

"Calling to minde since first my loue begunne,     Th' incertaine times oft varying in their course,     How things still vnexpectedly haue runne"

"Chapman; We finde by thy past-prized fraught,     What wealth thou dost vpon this Land conferre;     Th'olde Grecian Prophets hither tha"