Seven Minor Epics of the English Renaissance (1596-1624)Barksted, William, active 1611
General
Seven Minor Epics of the English Renaissance (1596-1624)
Barksted, William, active 1611
English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700; Epic poetry, English; Renaissance -- England
Another wishes, oh for such a face!
Nor can I blame her though she did wish so:
For sure, were I a wench, t'had bin my case,
for nature heere, made both her ioy and woe,
And spight that (but herself) commendeth none,
Of force must say, this was a rarer one
Then either nature did, or ere shall make,
whose life holdes vp her age, whose deathe's her wrack.
Eyes like two stars falne from their proper sphears
as if they scorn'd the beaten pathes of heauen:
Or enuying of beautie of the beares,
showne firmer heere, and brighter then the seau[=e]
Such was he as was Cupid wont to be
In pictures lim'd, and that they may agree,
furnish the babe with winges and quiuer light,
or from loues God, take wings, and quier quite.
Nought may compare with Time in his swift race
the babe ere while feeles now youths hot alarms
And as in yeares, so beautious grew his face,
that he is fit againe for Ladies armes:
Nor Cupid now could wound more dames th[=e] he
That Venus who Captiues all, is not free
From her own power, she loue's Adonis milde,
That Mars doth storm, & wish he were no childe.
Nor Paphos, Amathus nor fishie Gnide,
delights she now to haunt, nor Etna now
Burnes more then her, she roans the wood so wide
after her game, that to his game doth bow.
And will not heare or see, for eies and eares,
If they her heare or see, their vse forbeares
Yet she persues, and leaues her power vn euen
on heauen & earth, she loues him more th[=e] heau[=e].
Oft would she say, and bathe those words in tears
oh thou fair boy, wold God thou loudst like me
but sure thou art not flesh, it well appeares,
thou wert the stubborne issue of a tree,
So hard thou art, then she a sigh would fet,
and wish that Vulcan had not made his net,
For boysterous Mars, shee'd fayner ha' bin sped
with this choice floure, claspt in her yron bed.
Shee'd nere haue blusht, th[=e] she does make a vow
though al the Gods of both worlds had th[=e] seen
She raveth that she euer lou'd til now,
that she might worthily ha bin loues Queene.
wel, wel (quoth she) thou hast reueng'd the spight
which from my accurst Sons bow did fowly light
On thy faire Mother, O immortall boy,
Though thou be faire, tis I that should be coy.
But stay my Muse in thine owne confines keepe,
& wage not warre with so deere lou'd a neighbor,
But hauing sung thy day song, rest & sleepe
preserue thy small fame and his greater fauor:
His song was worthie merrit (_Shakspeare_ hee)
sung the faire blossome, thou the withered tree
_Laurell_ is due to him, his art and wit
hath purchast it, _Cypres_ thy brow will fit.
FINIS.
Hiren:
_OR_
The faire Greeke:
_By_ William Barksted, _one of_
the seruants of his Maiesties
Revels.
Ovid.
----_nonparuas animo dat gloria vires,
Et fecunda facit pectora laudis amor._
_LONDON_:
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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