Where, whenas death shall all the world subdue, MICHAEL DRAYTON (1563-1631) SINCE THERE'S NO HELP Since there's no help, come, let us kiss and part! Our love shall live, and later life Nay, I have done, you get no more of renew." me; And I am glad, yea, glad, with all my heart, That thus so cleanly I myself can free. Shake hands for ever, cancel all our Shall I compare thee to a summer's day? Thou art more lovely and more temperate: Rough winds do shake the darling buds of May, And summer's lease hath all too short a date; Sometime too hot the eye of heaven shines, 5 And often is his gold complexion dimmed; And every fair from fair sometime de clines, By chance or nature's changing course untrimmed; But thy eternal summer shall not fade Nor lose possession of that fair thou ow'st;2 ΙΟ Nor shall Death brag thou wander'st in his shade, When in eternal lines to time thou grow'st: Kissing with golden face the meadows green, When, in disgrace with fortune and men's Gilding pale streams with heavenly al chemy, That time of year thou mayst in me behold When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang Upon those boughs which shake against the cold, Bare ruined choirs, where late the sweet birds sang. In me thou see'st the twilight of such day 5 Tired with all these, for restful death I Death's second self, that seals up all in rest. I cannot eat but little meat, But sure I think that I can drink I am nothing a-cold; I stuff my skin so full within I love no roast but a nutbrown toast, A little bread shall do me stead, No frost nor snow, no wind, I trow, I am so wrapt and throughly lapt And Tib my wife, that as her life Loveth well good ale to seek, Full oft drinks she, till ye may see 5 ΙΟ 15 20 25 MY MIND TO ME A KINGDOM IS My mind to me a kingdom is, Such present joys therein I find That it excels all other bliss That earth affords or grows by kind: Though much I want which most would have, Yet still my mind forbids to crave. No princely pomp, no wealthy store, No wily wit to salve a sore, No shape to feed a loving eye; To none of these I yield as thrall: I see how plenty [surfeits] oft, And hasty climbers soon do fall; I see that those which are aloft Mishap doth threaten most of all; They get with toil, they keep with fear: Such cares my mind could never bear. Content to live, this is my stay; 5 ΙΟ 15 20 I seek no more than may suffice; I press to bear no haughty sway; Look, what I lack my mind supplies: Lo, thus I triumph like a king, Content with that my mind doth bring. Some have too much, yet still do crave;25 I little have, and seek no more. They are but poor, though much they have, And I am rich with little store: They poor, I rich; they beg, I give; They lack, I leave; they pine, I live. 1 emptied. 30 I laugh not at another's loss; I grudge not at another's pain; Some weigh their pleasure by their lust, My wealth is health and perfect ease; Nor by deceit to breed offence: Thus do I live; thus will I die; Would all did so as well as I! SIR PHILIP SIDNEY (1554–1586) LOVE IS DEAD 35 40 45 |