English poetry -- Early modern, 1500-1700; Knights and knighthood -- Poetry; Virtues -- Poetry
9 And Pholoe foul, when her to this he does compare.
Pholoe > (A beautiful wood-nymph, loved by Pan)
106.16
The woodborne people fall before her flat,
2 And worship her as Goddesse of the wood;
And old _Syluanus_ selfe bethinkes not, what
4 To thinke of wight so faire, but gazing stood,
In doubt to deeme her borne of earthly brood;
6 Sometimes Dame _Venus_ selfe he seemes to see,
But _Venus_ neuer had so sober mood;
8 Sometimes _Diana_ he her takes to bee,
But misseth bow, and shaftes, and buskins to her knee.
1 The wood-born people fall before her flat,
2 And worship her as Goddess of the Wood;
3 And old Silvanus himself bethinks not what
bethinks not > does not know, cannot decide
4 To think of wight so fair, but gazing stood,
wight > creature, person, woman
5 In doubt to deem her born of earthly brood;
brood > parentage, race
6 Sometimes Dame Venus herself he seems to see,
7 But Venus never had so sober mood;
so > [such a]
8 Sometimes Diana he her takes to be,
9 But misses bow, and shafts, and buskins to her knee.
shafts > arrows
buskins > boots, half-boots (not extending to thigh)
106.17
By vew of her he ginneth to reuiue
2 His ancient loue, and dearest _Cyparisse_,
And calles to mind his pourtraiture aliue,
4 How faire he was, and yet not faire to this,
And how he slew with glauncing dart amisse
6 A gentle Hynd, the which the louely boy
Did loue as life, aboue all worldly blisse;
8 For griefe whereof the lad n'ould after ioy,
But pynd away in anguish and selfe-wild annoy.
1 By view of her he begins to revive
2 His ancient love, and dearest Cyparissus,
and > (Redundant)
Cyparissus > (A youth loved by Silvanus, transformed into a cypress
by Apollo: _DGDG_ 13.17, _Myth._ 5.10; _Met._ 10.106-42)
3 And calls to mind his portrait alive,
portrait alive > living likeness
4 How fair he was, and yet not fair to this,
to > compared with
5 And how he slew with glancing dart amiss
he > (Either Silvanus (following _Myth._), or Cyparissus (following
_Met._))
6 A gentle hind, which the lovely boy
7 Did love as life, above all worldly bliss;
8 For grief whereof the lad nould after joy,
nould > would not (past tense of "nill", derived from "ne will",
hence Spenser's apostrophe; cf. 310.35:9)
joy > rejoice
9 But pined away in anguish and self-willed annoy.
self-willed annoy > [wilful or self-imposed grief]
106.18
The wooddy Nymphes, faire _Hamadryades_
2 Her to behold do thither runne apace,
And all the troupe of light-foot _Naiades_,
4 Flocke all about to see her louely face:
But when they vewed haue her heauenly grace,
6 They enuie her in their malitious mind,
And fly away for feare of fowle disgrace:
8 But all the _Satyres_ scorne their woody kind,
And henceforth nothing faire, but her on earth they find.
1 The woody nymphs, fair hamadryads,
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