Short Poems

To my most louing and intirely beloued Pupill, Mr Arthur De la-vale, attending the right honourable and most happy Earle of Dunbarre.

Thy name is of the Vale: thy nature, not:
For it is kinde and truly generous:
As are thy worthy brothers (well I wou)
Then is thy nature highly vertuous:
Yet being lowly too as is the Dale,
Thy name thy nature fits, deere De la-Vale.

To the most noble and vallerous knight, Sr Robert Mauncell

Glory of Wales, and splendor of thy name,
True Valors home; whose more then manly heart
Still death out dares; whose earnest is thy game
By sea or land and ioy'st but in his smart
Hold Muse, no more, to tell what all he is,
Would aske a volume greater farre then this.

To my right noble pupill and ioy of my heart Aulgernoun Lord Percy

T H Italian hand I teach you; but their tricks
I cannot teach; for they are politicks
Yet if their politicks you do not learne,
Do not so much as once but touch the sterne
Of any state, though you be putt to it;
For then it wracks that want No Want of Witt.

To the right honorable councellor of councellors Robert Earle of Satisbury, Lord Treasurer of England

A CHILLES to his friend, Patroclus had;
Aeneas his Achates; Phillip's sonne
Had his Ephestion; and Darius made
Zopirus sterne of his dominion;
Scipio had Laelius: but the best of them
Steeded much lesse then thou, their king and realme.

Fair maid, you need not take the hint,
Nor idle texts pursue;
'Twas only sinners that he meant,
Not angels such as you.

Tiny boy,
staring at me
with eyes like toy balloons:
That broom
is much bigger than you.
Put it down.
You won't?
Then don't put it down.

After we've had
our age of gold
and sung our song of brass,
fingers will brush
the age aside,
fingers and leaves

Foremost of all on battle's fiery steep
Here V ERTUE fell, and here he sleeps his sleep.
A fairer name no Roman ever gave
To stand sole monument on Valour's grave.

" THOU belt of dear Aunt Susan, pray
Tell why so long thou art? "
" Because, in circling round her waist,
I go all round her heart. "

B ALNEA , vina, Venus, vitae deliciae: sed et Corpora corrumpunt balnea, vina, Venus.
Bathing and Women and Wine corrupt these members of ours: yet
What are the pleasures of life? Bathing, and Women, and Wine.