Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Book I

Name: Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Book I
Author: Spenser, Edmund

Spenser, Edmund

English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700; Knights and knighthood -- Poetry; Virtues -- Poetry

For all he taught the tender ymp, was but[*]
  To banish cowardize and bastard feare;
  His trembling hand he would him force to put                     205
  Upon the Lyon and the rugged Beare;
  And from the she Beares teats her whelps to teare;
  And eke wyld roaring Buls he would him make
  To tame, and ryde their backes not made to beare;
  And the Robuckes in flight to overtake,                          210
That every beast for feare of him did fly and quake.

                    XXV

Thereby so fearlesse, and so fell he grew,
  That his owne sire and maister of his guise[*]
  Did often tremble at his horrid vew,[*]
  And oft for dread of hurt would him advise,                      215
  The angry beasts not rashly to despise,
  Nor too much to provoke; for he would learne
  The Lyon stoup to him in lowly wise,
  (A lesson hard) and make the Libbard sterne
Leave roaring, when in rage he for revenge did earne.              220

                    XXVI

And for to make his powre approved more,
  Wyld beasts in yron yokes he would compell;
  The spotted Panther, and the tusked Bore,
  The Pardale swift, and the tigre cruell,
  The Antelope, and Wolfe both fierce and fell;                    225
  And them constraine in equall teme to draw.
  Such joy he had, their stubborne harts to quell,
  And sturdie courage tame with dreadfull aw,
That his beheast they feared, as a tyrans law.

                    XXVII

His loving mother came upon a day                                  230
  Unto the woods, to see her little sonne;
  And chaunst unwares to meet him in the way,
  After his sportes, and cruell pastime donne;
  When after him a Lyonesse did runne,
  That roaring all with rage, did lowd requere                     235
  Her children deare, whom he away had wonne:
  The Lyon whelpes she saw how he did beare,
And lull in rugged armes, withouten childish feare.

                    XXVIII

The fearefull Dame all quaked at the sight,
  And turning backe, gan fast to fly away,                         240
  Untill with love revokt from vaine affright,
  She hardly yet perswaded was to stay,
  And then to him these womanish words gan say;
  Ah Satyrane, my dearling, and my joy,
  For love of me leave off this dreadfull play;                    245
  To dally thus with death is no fit toy,
Go find some other play-fellowes, mine own sweet boy.

                    XXIX

In these and like delights of bloudy game
  He trayned was, till ryper yeares he raught;
  And there abode, whilst any beast of name                        250
  Walkt in that forest, whom he had not taught
  To feare his force: and then his courage haught
  Desird of forreine foemen to be knowne,
  And far abroad for straunge adventures sought;
  In which his might was never overthrowne;                        255
But through all Faery lond his famous worth was blown.[*]

                    XXX

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

Opening the text

Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Book ISpenser, Edmund

General

Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Book I

Spenser, Edmund

English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700; Knights and knighthood -- Poetry; Virtues -- Poetry

For all he taught the tender ymp, was but[*]
  To banish cowardize and bastard feare;
  His trembling hand he would him force to put                     205
  Upon the Lyon and the rugged Beare;
  And from the she Beares teats her whelps to teare;
  And eke wyld roaring Buls he would him make
  To tame, and ryde their backes not made to beare;
  And the Robuckes in flight to overtake,                          210
That every beast for feare of him did fly and quake.

                    XXV

Thereby so fearlesse, and so fell he grew,
  That his owne sire and maister of his guise[*]
  Did often tremble at his horrid vew,[*]
  And oft for dread of hurt would him advise,                      215
  The angry beasts not rashly to despise,
  Nor too much to provoke; for he would learne
  The Lyon stoup to him in lowly wise,
  (A lesson hard) and make the Libbard sterne
Leave roaring, when in rage he for revenge did earne.              220

                    XXVI

And for to make his powre approved more,
  Wyld beasts in yron yokes he would compell;
  The spotted Panther, and the tusked Bore,
  The Pardale swift, and the tigre cruell,
  The Antelope, and Wolfe both fierce and fell;                    225
  And them constraine in equall teme to draw.
  Such joy he had, their stubborne harts to quell,
  And sturdie courage tame with dreadfull aw,
That his beheast they feared, as a tyrans law.

                    XXVII

His loving mother came upon a day                                  230
  Unto the woods, to see her little sonne;
  And chaunst unwares to meet him in the way,
  After his sportes, and cruell pastime donne;
  When after him a Lyonesse did runne,
  That roaring all with rage, did lowd requere                     235
  Her children deare, whom he away had wonne:
  The Lyon whelpes she saw how he did beare,
And lull in rugged armes, withouten childish feare.

                    XXVIII

The fearefull Dame all quaked at the sight,
  And turning backe, gan fast to fly away,                         240
  Untill with love revokt from vaine affright,
  She hardly yet perswaded was to stay,
  And then to him these womanish words gan say;
  Ah Satyrane, my dearling, and my joy,
  For love of me leave off this dreadfull play;                    245
  To dally thus with death is no fit toy,
Go find some other play-fellowes, mine own sweet boy.

                    XXIX

In these and like delights of bloudy game
  He trayned was, till ryper yeares he raught;
  And there abode, whilst any beast of name                        250
  Walkt in that forest, whom he had not taught
  To feare his force: and then his courage haught
  Desird of forreine foemen to be knowne,
  And far abroad for straunge adventures sought;
  In which his might was never overthrowne;                        255
But through all Faery lond his famous worth was blown.[*]

                    XXX

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

Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Book I

Spenser's The Faerie Queene, Book I

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