The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw, Volume ICrashaw, Richard
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The Complete Works of Richard Crashaw, Volume I
Crashaw, Richard
English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700
And the same rosie-finger'd hand of thine, 45
That shuts Night's dying eyes, shall open mine.
But thou, faint God of Sleepe, forget that I
Was ever known to be thy votary.
No more my pillow shall thine altar be,
Nor will I offer any more to thee 50
My selfe a melting sacrifice; I'me borne
Againe a fresh child of the buxome Morne,
Heire of the sun's first beames. Why threat'st thou so?
Why dost thou shake thy leaden scepter? goe,
Bestow thy poppy upon wakefull Woe, 55
Sicknesse, and Sorrow, whose pale lidds ne're know
Thy downie finger; dwell upon their eyes,
Shut in their teares: shut out their miseries.
NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.
In 1646, line 1, for 'shall' reads 'will:' ib. in HARLEIAN MS. as
before, 'my' for 'the Muse;' which I adopt here, but not in next line:
line 9, ib. 'thy:' line 11, illustrious is = lustrous, radiant: HARLEIAN
MS. as before, line 19, 'this my humble:' line 20, 1646 misprints
'raptures:' line 27, 1670 has 'and climb:' line 28, 1646 has 'stooped'
for 'stooping' of 1648; infinitely superior, and therefore adopted: 1670
misprints 'stopped:' the SANCROFT MS. has 'stooping:' line 45, HARLEIAN
MS. as before, 'thy altar.' Further: in the SANCROFT MS. this poem is
headed 'Ad Auroram Somnolentiæ expiatio. R. CR.,' and it supplies these
various readings: line 1, 'will:' line 7, 'call back:' line 16, 'my' for
'mine;' line 20-21, 'winge' and 'bringe:' line 40, 'treasures:' other
orthographic differences only. See Essay, as in last poem. G.
LOVE'S HOROSCOPE.[78]
Love, brave Vertue's younger brother, 1
Erst hath made my heart a mother;
Shee consults the conscious spheares
To calculate her young son's yeares.
Shee askes, if sad, or saving powers, 5
Gave omen to his infant howers;
Shee askes each starre that then stood by,
If poore Love shall live or dy.
Ah, my heart, is that the way?
Are these the beames that rule thy day? 10
Thou know'st a face in whose each looke,
Beauty layes ope Love's fortune-booke;
On whose faire revolutions wait
The obsequious motions of man's fate:
Ah, my heart, her eyes, and shee, 15
Have taught thee new astrologie.
How e're Love's native houres were set,
What ever starry synod met,
'Tis in the mercy of her eye,
If poore Love shall live or dye. 20
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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