Classic Poem

Alcyna met them at the outer gate
And came before the rest a little space,
And with a count'nance full of high estate
Salutes Rogero with a goodly grace,
And all the other courtiers in like rate
Do bid Rogero welcome to the place
With so great showes of duetie and of love
As if some god descended from above,

Nor onely was this pallace for the sight
Most goodly, faire, and stately to behold,
But that the peoples courtsie bred delight
Which was as great as could with tongue be told.
All were of youth and beautie shining bright,
Yet confirme this thing I dare be bold:
That faire Alcyna past the rest as farre
As doth the Sunne an other little starre.

A shape whose like in waxe tweare hard to frame
Or to expresse by skill of painters rare.
Her heare was long and yellow to the same
As might with wire of beaten gold compare.
Her lovely cheekes with shew of modest shame
With roses and with lillies painted are.
Her forhead faire and full of seemely cheare
As smoth as pullisht Ivorie doth appeare.

Within two arches of most curious fashion
Stand two black eyes that like two cleare suns shind,
Of stedie looke but apt to take compassion,
Amid which lights the naked boy and blind
Doth cast his darts that cause so many a passion
And leave a sweete and curelesse wound behind;
From thence the nose in such good sort descended
As envie knowes not how it may be mended,

Conjoynd to which in dew and comly space
Doth stand the mouth staind with Vermillion hew;
Two rowes of precious perle serve in their place
To show and shut, a lip right faire to vew.
Hence come the courteous words and ful of grace
That mollifie hard harts and make them new;
From hence proceed those smilings sweet and nice
That seeme to make an earthly paradice.

Her brests as milke, her necke as white as snow,
Her necke was round, most plum and large her brest,
Two Ivory apples seemed there to grow,
Full tender, smooth, and fittest to be prest,
They wave like seas when winds most calm doth blow;
But Argos selfe might not descerne the rest,
Yet by presumption well it might be gest
That that which was concealed was the best.

Her armes due measure of proportion bare,
Her faire white hand was to be vewed plaine,
The fingers long, the joynts so curious are
As neither knot appeard nor swelling vaine,
And full to perfect all those features rare.
The foote that to be seene doth sole remaine,
Both slender, short, little it was and round:
A finer foote might no where well be found . . .

Now as abrode the stately courts did sound
Of trumpets, shagbot, cornets, and of flutes,
Even so within there wants no pleasing sound
Of virginals, of vials, and of lutes,
Upon the which persons not few were found
That did record their loves and loving sutes,
And in some song of love and wanton verse
Their good or ill successes did reherse.

As for the sumptuous and luxurious fare,
I thinke not they that Nynus did succeed
Nor Cleopatra faire whose riot rare
To Antonie such love and losse did breed
Might with Alcynas any was compare
Whose love did all the others farre exceed,
So deepely was she ravisht in the sight
Of this so valiant and so comly knight.

The supper done and tables tane away,
To purposes and such like toyes they went,
Each one to other secretly to say
Some word by which some pretie toy is ment.
This helpt the lovers better to bewray
Each unto other what was their intent,
For when the word was hether tost and thither
Their last conclusion was to lie togither.

These pretie kinds of amorous sports once ended,
With torches to his chamber he was brought.
On him a crew of gallant squires attended
That everie way to do him honor sought.
The chambers furniture could not be mended.
It seemd Arachne had the hangings wrought.
A banket new was made, the which once finished,
The companie by one and one diminished.

Now was Rogero couched in his bed
Betweene a paire of cambricke sheetes perfumed,
And oft he harkens with his wakefull hed
For her whose love his hart and soule consumed.
Each little noise hope of her comming bred,
Which finding false against himselfe he fumed
And curst the cause that did him so much wrong
To cause Alcina tarrie thence so long.

Sometime from bed he softly doth arise
And looke abroad if he might her espie.
Sometime he with himselfe doth thus devise:
Now she is comming, now she drawes thus nie.
Sometime for verie anger out he cries:
What meaneth she, she doth no faster hie?
Sometimes he casts least any let should be
Betweene his hand and this desired tree;

But faire Alcina, when with odors sweete
She was perfumd according to her skill,
The time once come she deemed fit and meete
When all the house were now asleepe and still,
With rich embroderd slippers on her feete,
She goes to give and take of joyes her fill
To him whom hope and feare so long assailed
Till sleepe drew on and hope and feare both failed.

Now when Astolfos successor espide
Those earthly starres, her faire and heav'nly eies,
As sulphur once inflamed cannot hide
Even so the mettell in his veines that lies
So flam'd that in the skin it scant could bide,
But of a sodaine straight he doth arise,
Leapes out of bed and her in armes embraced,
Ne would he stay till she her selfe unlaced.

So utterly impacient of all stay
That though her mantell was but cyprous light
And next upon her smocke of lawne it lay,
Yet so the champion hasted to the fight
The mantell with his furie fell away,
And now the smocke remaind alone in sight,
Which smock as plaine her beauties all discloses
As doth a glasse the lillies faire and roses.