Volume 1 — SONGS AND SONETS. (continued 2)

THOU art not so black, as my heart, Nor halfe so brittle, as her heart, thou art; What would'st thou say? shall both our properties by thee bee spoke, Nothing more endlesse, nothing sooner broke? 5Marriage rings are not of this stuffe; Oh, why should ought lesse precious, or lesse tough Figure our loves? Except in thy name thou have bid it say, I'am cheap, and nought but fashion, fling me'away. Yet stay with mee since thou art come, 10Circle this fingers top, which did'st her thombe. Be justly proud, and gladly safe, that thou dost dwell with me, She that, Oh, broke her faith, would soon breake thee.

I NEVER stoop'd so low, as they Which on an eye, cheeke, lip, can prey, Seldome to them, which soare no higher Then vertue or the minde to'admire, 5For sense, and understanding may Know, what gives fuell to their fire: My love, though silly, is more brave, For may I misse, when ere I crave, If I know yet, what I would have. 10If that be simply perfectest Which can by no way be exprest But Negatives, my love is so. To All, which all love, I say no. If any who deciphers best, 15What we know not, our selves, can know, Let him teach mee that nothing; This As yet my ease, and comfort is, Though I speed not, I cannot misse.

TAKE heed of loving mee, At least remember, I forbade it thee; Not that I shall repaire my'unthrifty wast Of Breath and Blood, upon thy sighes, and teares, 5By being to thee then what to me thou wast; But, so great Joy, our life at once outweares, Then, least thy love, by my death, frustrate bee, If thou love mee, take heed of loving mee. Take heed of hating mee, 10Or too much triumph in the Victorie. Not that I shall be mine owne officer, And hate with hate againe retaliate; But thou wilt lose the stile of conquerour, If I, thy conquest, perish by thy hate. 15Then, least my being nothing lessen thee, If thou hate mee, take heed of hating mee. Yet, love and hate mee too, So, these extreames shall neithers office doe; Love mee, that I may die the gentler way; 20Hate mee, because thy love is too great for mee; Or let these two, themselves, not me decay; So shall I, live, thy Stage, not triumph bee; Lest thou thy love and hate and mee undoe, To let mee live, O love and hate mee too.

Lest thou thy love and hate and mee undoe To let mee live, Oh (of in some copies) love and hate mee too.

Then lest thou thy love hate, and mee thou undoe O let me live, yet love and hate me too.

Lest thou thy love, and hate, and me thou undo, O let me live, yet love and hate me too.

SO, so, breake off this last lamenting kisse, Which sucks two soules, and vapors Both away, Turne thou ghost that way, and let mee turne this, And let our selves benight our happiest day, 5We ask'd none leave to love; nor will we owe Any, so cheape a death, as saying, Goe; Goe; and if that word have not quite kil'd thee, Ease mee with death, by bidding mee goe too. Oh, if it have, let my word worke on mee, 10And a just office on a murderer doe. Except it be too late, to kill me so, Being double dead, going, and bidding, goe.

FOR the first twenty yeares, since yesterday, I scarce beleev'd, thou could'st be gone away, For forty more, I fed on favours past, And forty'on hopes, that thou would'st, they might last. 5Teares drown'd one hundred, and sighes blew out two, A thousand, I did neither thinke, nor doe, Or not divide, all being one thought of you; Or in a thousand more, forgot that too. Yet call not this long life; But thinke that I 10Am, by being dead, Immortall; Can ghosts die?

NO Lover saith, I love, nor any other Can judge a perfect Lover; Hee thinkes that else none can, nor will agree That any loves but hee: 5I cannot say I lov'd, for who can say Hee was kill'd yesterday? Love with excesse of heat, more yong then old, Death kills with too much cold; Wee dye but once, and who lov'd last did die, 10Hee that saith twice, doth lye: For though hee seeme to move, and stirre a while, It doth the sense beguile. Such life is like the light which bideth yet When the lights life is set, 15Or like the heat, which fire in solid matter Leaves behinde, two houres after. Once I lov'd and dy'd; and am now become Mine Epitaph and Tombe. Here dead men speake their last, and so do I; 20Love-slaine, loe, here I lye.

WHILST yet to prove, I thought there was some Deitie in love So did I reverence, and gave Worship; as Atheists at their dying houre 5Call, what they cannot name, an unknowne power, As ignorantly did I crave: Thus when Things not yet knowne are coveted by men, Our desires give them fashion, and so 10As they waxe lesser, fall, as they sise, grow. But, from late faire His hignesse sitting in a golden Chaire, Is not lesse cared for after three dayes By children, then the thing which lovers so 15Blindly admire, and with such worship wooe; Being had, enjoying it decayes: And thence, What before pleas'd them all, takes but one sense, And that so lamely, as it leaves behinde 20A kinde of sorrowing dulnesse to the minde. Ah cannot wee, As well as Cocks and Lyons jocund be, After such pleasures? Unlesse wise Nature decreed (since each such Act, they say, 25Diminisheth the length of life a day) This, as shee would man should despise The sport; Because that other curse of being short, And onely for a minute made to be, 30(Eagers desire) to raise posterity. Since so, my minde Shall not desire what no man else can finde, I'll no more dote and runne To pursue things which had indammag'd me. 35And when I come where moving beauties be, As men doe when the summers Sunne Growes great, Though I admire their greatnesse, shun their heat; Each place can afford shadowes. If all faile, 40'Tis but applying worme-seed to the Taile.

STAND still, and I will read to thee A Lecture, Love, in loves philosophy. These three houres that we have spent, Walking here, Two shadowes went 5Along with us, which we our selves produc'd; But, now the Sunne is just above our head, We doe those shadowes tread; And to brave clearnesse all things are reduc'd. So whilst our infant loves did grow, 10Disguises did, and shadowes, flow, From us, and our cares; but, now 'tis not so. That love hath not attain'd the high'st degree, Which is still diligent lest others see. Except our loves at this noone stay, 15We shall new shadowes make the other way. As the first were made to blinde Others; these which come behinde Will worke upon our selves, and blind our eyes. If our loves faint, and westwardly decline; 20To me thou, falsly, thine, And I to thee mine actions shall disguise. The morning shadowes weare away, But these grow longer all the day, But oh, loves day is short, if love decay. 25Love is a growing, or full constant light; And his first minute, after noone, is night.

S END me some token, that my hope may live, Or that my easelesse thoughts may sleep and rest; Send me some honey to make sweet my hive, That in my passion I may hope the best. 5I beg noe ribbond wrought with thine owne hands, To knit our loves in the fantastick straine Of new-toucht youth; nor Ring to shew the stands Of our affection, that as that's round and plaine, So should our loves meet in simplicity; 10No, nor the Coralls which thy wrist infold, Lac'd up together in congruity, To shew our thoughts should rest in the same hold; No, nor thy picture, though most gracious, And most desir'd, because best like the best; 15Nor witty Lines, which are most copious, Within the Writings which thou hast addrest. Send me nor this, nor that, t'increase my store, But swear thou thinkst I love thee, and no more.

H E that cannot chuse but love, And strives against it still, Never shall my fancy move; For he loves 'gaynst his will; 5Nor he which is all his own, And can att pleasure chuse, When I am caught he can be gone, And when he list refuse. Nor he that loves none but faire, 10For such by all are sought; Nor he that can for foul ones care, For his Judgement then is nought: Nor he that hath wit, for he Will make me his jest or slave; 15Nor a fool, for when others..., He can neither.... Nor he that still his Mistresse payes, For she is thrall'd therefore: Nor he that payes not, for he sayes 20Within, shee's worth no more. Is there then no kinde of men Whom I may freely prove? I will vent that humour then In mine own selfe love.