Classic Poem

At th' utter Porch and evn in Orcus Jaws
sat sorrows sad, and sharp revenging care,
fears, filthy want, and famin foe to laws
In fearfull shapes, and death that none doth spare,
Deaths Cosen Sleep, Joys sprung on evill cawse,
to which moste Crewell warrs an object are,
with pale deseases, payns that ever rage
and that that kills withowt diseases, age.

Thear sat the' Eumenides in Iron chayrs,
thear raging discord that in bloody bands
tyes up the vypers her decheavled hayrs:
Amid all thease a myghty ellm thear stands
to shade of which each ydle dream repayrs
and lurke in leavs in nomber as the sands,
No words can well expresse, no language consters
the sundry fowrms of thease same ydell monsters.

Centawrs mishapen, Scillas doble shapes,
And Bryareus with working hands one hundred,
Thear Lernas roring lyon hugely gapes,
Chimeras ghastly flames, and greatly wondred,
Harpias, gorgons, tygers, wolvs, and apes,
from which Eneas seeking to bee sundered,
with naked sword in hand wold them invade
save that his gyde did other-wyse perswade.

She showd him by a playn and short discowrse
those all wear fansyes voyd of substance quyte,
This past they followd on with speedy cowrse,
the way to tartar waters leading ryght,
Height Acheron, whose ever swelling sowrse
Casts sands on blacke Cocytus Day and nyght.
whear cruell Caron keeps the fatall whery,
a sowr old syre, still angry never mery.

Gray locks hee had and flaming eys, his boat
with ore somtyme hee guyds, somtyme with sayle,
his garment was a bare yll favord coat,
Thowgh struck in yeers, yeers made not strength to fayle.
To this streams banks, great swarms of sowls did float
and sewd to passe, yet cowld not all prevayle
Men, women, babes, great Lords, and lytle boys
slayn in theyr parents syghts, theyr parents Joys.

As thicke as leavs do fall in awtum frost,
as thicke as lytle byrds in flocks do flye,
whom winters cold, makes seeke a warmer coast,
so stood the sowls that did for passage cry,
The sullen syre admitts not evry ghost,
but unto dyvers passage doth deny;
Eneas calls his guyd demawnding her,
the cawse of that confused noyse and sterr.