The Hesperides & Noble Numbers: Vol. 1 and 2Herrick, Robert
General
The Hesperides & Noble Numbers: Vol. 1 and 2
Herrick, Robert
Poetry
For all thy many courtesies to me,
Nothing I have, my Crofts, to send to thee
For the requital, save this only one
Half of my just remuneration.
For since I've travell'd all this realm throughout
To seek and find some few immortals out
To circumspangle this my spacious sphere,
As lamps for everlasting shining here;
And having fix'd thee in mine orb a star,
Amongst the rest, both bright and singular,
The present age will tell the world thou art,
If not to th' whole, yet satisfi'd in part.
As for the rest, being too great a sum
Here to be paid, I'll pay't i' th' world to come.
805. THE BRIDE-CAKE.
This day, my Julia, thou must make
For Mistress Bride the wedding-cake:
Knead but the dough, and it will be
To paste of almonds turn'd by thee:
Or kiss it thou but once or twice,
And for the bride-cake there'll be spice.
806. TO BE MERRY.
Let's now take our time
While w'are in our prime,
And old, old age is afar off:
For the evil, evil days
Will come on apace,
Before we can be aware of.
807. BURIAL.
Man may want land to live in; but for all
Nature finds out some place for burial.
808. LENITY.
'Tis the Chirurgeon's praise, and height of art,
Not to cut off, but cure the vicious part.
809. PENITENCE.
Who after his transgression doth repent,
Is half, or altogether innocent.
810. GRIEF.
Consider sorrows, how they are aright:
_Grief, if't be great, 'tis short; if long, 'tis light_.
811. THE MAIDEN-BLUSH.
So look the mornings when the sun
Paints them with fresh vermilion:
So cherries blush, and Kathern pears,
And apricots in youthful years:
So corals look more lovely red,
And rubies lately polished:
So purest diaper doth shine,
Stain'd by the beams of claret wine:
As Julia looks when she doth dress
Her either cheek with bashfulness.
_Kathern pears_, _i.e._, Catharine pears.
812. THE MEAN.
_Imparity doth ever discord bring;
The mean the music makes in everything._
813. HASTE HURTFUL.
_Haste is unhappy; what we rashly do
Is both unlucky, aye, and foolish, too.
Where war with rashness is attempted, there
The soldiers leave the field with equal fear._
814. PURGATORY.
Readers, we entreat ye pray
For the soul of Lucia;
That in little time she be
From her purgatory free:
In the interim she desires
That your tears may cool her fires.
815. THE CLOUD.
Seest thou that cloud that rides in state,
Part ruby-like, part candidate?
It is no other than the bed
Where Venus sleeps half-smothered.
_Candidate_, robed in white.
817. THE AMBER BEAD.
I saw a fly within a bead
Of amber cleanly buried;
The urn was little, but the room
More rich than Cleopatra's tomb.
818. TO MY DEAREST SISTER, M. MERCY HERRICK.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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