When I behold a forest spread With silken trees upon thy head, And when I see that other dress Of flowers set in comeliness; When I behold another grace In the ascent of curious lace, Which like a pinnacle doth show The top, and the top-gallant too. Then, when I see thy tresses bound Into an oval, square, or round, And knit in knots far more than I Can tell by tongue, or true-love tie; Next, when those lawny films I see Play with a wild civility, And all those airy silks to flow, Alluring me, and tempting so: I must confess mine eye and heart Dotes less on Nature than on Art. _Civility_, order. 564. UPON HIS KINSWOMAN, MISTRESS BRIDGET HERRICK. Sweet Bridget blush'd, and therewithal Fresh blossoms from her cheeks did fall. I thought at first 'twas but a dream, Till after I had handled them And smelt them, then they smelt to me As blossoms of the almond tree. 565. UPON LOVE. I played with Love, as with the fire The wanton Satyr did; Nor did I know, or could descry What under there was hid. That Satyr he but burnt his lips; But mine's the greater smart, For kissing Love's dissembling chips The fire scorch'd my heart. _The wanton Satyr_, see Note. 566. UPON A COMELY AND CURIOUS MAID. If men can say that beauty dies, Marbles will swear that here it lies. If, reader, then thou canst forbear In public loss to shed a tear, The dew of grief upon this stone Will tell thee pity thou hast none. 567. UPON THE LOSS OF HIS FINGER. One of the five straight branches of my hand Is lop'd already, and the rest but stand Expecting when to fall, which soon will be; First dies the leaf, the bough next, next the tree. 568. UPON IRENE. Angry if Irene be But a minute's life with me: Such a fire I espy Walking in and out her eye, As at once I freeze and fry. 569. UPON ELECTRA'S TEARS. Upon her cheeks she wept, and from those showers Sprang up a sweet nativity of flowers. NOTES. NOTES. 2. _Whither, mad maiden_, etc. From Martial, I. iv. 11, 12:-- Aetherias, lascive, cupis volitare per auras: I, fuge; sed poteras tutior esse domi. _But for the Court._ Cp. Martial, I. iv. 3, 4. 4. _While Brutus standeth by._ "Brutus and Cato are commonplaces of examples of severe virtue": Grosart. But Herrick is translating. This is from Martial, XI. xvi. 9, 10:-- Erubuit posuitque meum Lucretia librum, Sed coram Bruto; Brute, recede, leget. 8. _When he would have his verses read._ The thought throughout this poem is taken from Martial, X. xix., beginning:-- Nec doctum satis et parum severum, Sed non rusticulum nimis libellum Facundo mea Plinio, Thalia, I perfer: where the address to Thalia perhaps explains Herrick's "do not _thou_ rehearse". The important lines are:--