Minor Poems of Michael Drayton

Name: Minor Poems of Michael Drayton
Author: Drayton, Michael

Drayton, Michael

English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700

But then the shepheard pyp'd a good,
    That all his sheepe forsooke their foode,
      to heare his melodie.
    Thy sheepe quoth she cannot be leane,
    That haue a iolly shepheards swayne,                              80
      the which can pipe so well.
    Yea but (sayth he) their shepheard may,
    Jf pyping thus he pine away,
      in loue of _Dowsabell_.
    Of loue fond boy take thou no keepe,
    Quoth she, looke well vnto thy sheepe,
      lest they should hap to stray.
    Quoth he, so had I done full well,
    Had I not seene fayre _Dowsabell_,
      come forth to gather Maye.                                      90
    With that she gan to vaile her head,
    Her cheekes were like the Roses red,
      but not a word she sayd.
    With that the shepheard gan to frowne,
    He threw his pretie pypes adowne,
      and on the ground him layd.
    Sayth she, I may not stay till night,
    And leaue my summer hall vndight,
      and all for long of thee.
    My Coate sayth he, nor yet my foulde,                            100
    Shall neither sheepe nor shepheard hould,
      except thou fauour me.
    Sayth she yet leuer I were dead,
    Then I should lose my maydenhead,
      and all for loue of men:
    Sayth he yet are you too vnkind,
    If in your heart you cannot finde,
      to loue vs now and then:
    And J to thee will be as kinde,
    As _Colin_ was to _Rosalinde_,                                   110
      of curtesie the flower;
    Then will I be as true quoth she,
    As euer mayden yet might be,
      vnto her Paramour:
    With that she bent her snowe-white knee,
    Downe by the shepheard kneeled shee,
      and him she sweetely kist.
    With that the shepheard whoop'd for ioy,
    Quoth he, ther's neuer shepheards boy,
      that euer was so blist.                                        120


[From the Edition of 1605]

_From Eclogue ij_

    Then this great Vniuerse no lesse,
    Can serue her prayses to expresse:
    Betwixt her eies the poles of Loue,
    The host of heauenly beautyes moue,
    Depainted in their proper stories,
    As well the fixd as wandring glories,
    Which from their proper orbes not goe,
    Whether they gyre swift or slowe:
    Where from their lips, when she doth speake,
    The musick of those sphears do breake,                            10
    Which their harmonious motion breedeth:
    From whose cheerfull breath proceedeth:
    That balmy sweetnes that giues birth
    To euery ofspring of the earth.
    Her shape and cariage of which frame
    In forme how well shee beares the same,
    Is that proportion heauens best treasure,
    Whereby it doth all poyze and measure,
    So that alone her happy sight
    Conteynes perfection and delight.                                 20


_From Eclogue ij_

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Opening the text

Minor Poems of Michael DraytonDrayton, Michael

General

Minor Poems of Michael Drayton

Drayton, Michael

English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700

But then the shepheard pyp'd a good,
    That all his sheepe forsooke their foode,
      to heare his melodie.
    Thy sheepe quoth she cannot be leane,
    That haue a iolly shepheards swayne,                              80
      the which can pipe so well.
    Yea but (sayth he) their shepheard may,
    Jf pyping thus he pine away,
      in loue of _Dowsabell_.
    Of loue fond boy take thou no keepe,
    Quoth she, looke well vnto thy sheepe,
      lest they should hap to stray.
    Quoth he, so had I done full well,
    Had I not seene fayre _Dowsabell_,
      come forth to gather Maye.                                      90
    With that she gan to vaile her head,
    Her cheekes were like the Roses red,
      but not a word she sayd.
    With that the shepheard gan to frowne,
    He threw his pretie pypes adowne,
      and on the ground him layd.
    Sayth she, I may not stay till night,
    And leaue my summer hall vndight,
      and all for long of thee.
    My Coate sayth he, nor yet my foulde,                            100
    Shall neither sheepe nor shepheard hould,
      except thou fauour me.
    Sayth she yet leuer I were dead,
    Then I should lose my maydenhead,
      and all for loue of men:
    Sayth he yet are you too vnkind,
    If in your heart you cannot finde,
      to loue vs now and then:
    And J to thee will be as kinde,
    As _Colin_ was to _Rosalinde_,                                   110
      of curtesie the flower;
    Then will I be as true quoth she,
    As euer mayden yet might be,
      vnto her Paramour:
    With that she bent her snowe-white knee,
    Downe by the shepheard kneeled shee,
      and him she sweetely kist.
    With that the shepheard whoop'd for ioy,
    Quoth he, ther's neuer shepheards boy,
      that euer was so blist.                                        120


[From the Edition of 1605]

_From Eclogue ij_

    Then this great Vniuerse no lesse,
    Can serue her prayses to expresse:
    Betwixt her eies the poles of Loue,
    The host of heauenly beautyes moue,
    Depainted in their proper stories,
    As well the fixd as wandring glories,
    Which from their proper orbes not goe,
    Whether they gyre swift or slowe:
    Where from their lips, when she doth speake,
    The musick of those sphears do breake,                            10
    Which their harmonious motion breedeth:
    From whose cheerfull breath proceedeth:
    That balmy sweetnes that giues birth
    To euery ofspring of the earth.
    Her shape and cariage of which frame
    In forme how well shee beares the same,
    Is that proportion heauens best treasure,
    Whereby it doth all poyze and measure,
    So that alone her happy sight
    Conteynes perfection and delight.                                 20


_From Eclogue ij_

Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.

Minor Poems of Michael Drayton

Minor Poems of Michael Drayton

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