210. Wherein She Must Be Seen Before Jealous Time Cancels Her Incredible Beauty -

WHEREIN SHE MUST BE SEEN BEFORE JEALOUS TIME CANCELS HER INCREDIBLE BEAUTY

He that desires to see the height of Nature
And Heaven as well, let him regard my Sun,
Sole luminary, not in my song alone,
But to the world — that blind enamoured creature!
But swift! For Death upon the loveliest feature
Fastens his beak, yet loathsome things will shun;
Heaven grows impatient for this paragon,
And bright things build in Time the briefest stature.
O hasten and behold! lest Time repeal
Virtue and beauty and a royal mind

209. Wherein to See is to Believe -

WHEREIN TO SEE IS TO BELIEVE

Perhaps my style may strike some as too florid
Extolling my pure guardian of delight,
The sovereign of her sex: with virtue bright,
Most wise and sweet, her chaste and liberal forehead
Outdazzling Heaven! Nay, though my soul wax torrid
With praise, I fear she will dismiss as slight
My music, since she walks a starrier height...
Ah, let the skeptic stare! His heart is arid
Who will not say, " She that is heart's-desire
Is one whose grace and valour might extend

208. Wherein He Hopes He May Die Before Laura -

WHEREIN HE HOPES HE MAY DIE BEFORE LAURA

The gentle wind that with its delicate sigh
Flutters green laurel, flutters golden tresses,
Persuades with its infrequent suave caresses
The gazer's spirit from the flesh to fly.
A sweet and snow-white rose in thorns set high!
Where in the world match her whose grace surpasses
Eve's own? The glory of our age confesses
No equal! O let Laura never die!
Let me die first, so the large public theft
Escape me, the blind earth to darkness left,
And these eyes desolated and bereft,

207. Concerning the Two Roses -

CONCERNING THE TWO ROSES

Two glowing roses, fresh from Paradise,
That there, on May-Day morning, leaped in light —
Sweet gift sent by a lover wise and white
With age to two young loves in equal wise:
Whereat, so soft the speech, and to the eyes
So excellent his mien (a savage might
Have softened), the same lustre glimmered bright
In both and on their cheeks burned the swift dyes.
" Never had sun looked on a lovelier two, "
Said he, as with a smile and sigh he spoke,

206. Wherein He Urges a Friend, In Equal Case, to Lift Up His Soul to God -

WHEREIN HE URGES A FRIEND, IN EQUAL CASE, TO LIFT UP HIS SOUL TO GOD

Evil oppresses me and worse dismay,
To which a plain and ample path I find;
Frenzied like thee, I stagger wild and blind,
Whipped by harsh thoughts, like thee I run astray,
Not knowing if for war or peace to pray:
To war is loss, to peace contempt assigned.
But why brood longer? What the Highest Mind
Ordains I do not question, but obey.
However ill thy difficult honour sit
Upon me — whom the error of Love sways

205. Wherein He Felicitates His Heart It Stays with Her -

WHEREIN HE FELICITATES HIS HEART THAT IT STAYS WITH HER

Fresh, shadowed hill, with flowers and foliage crowned!
Where, in dear silences or music sweet,
A heavenly spirit upon celestial feet
Honours the earth who has all honour found!
Forsaking me, my fond heart to her bound —
Wiser, if there it keep its constant seat —
Notes now the turf her starry footprints greet,
Now where her eyes pour glory all around:
Then murmurs throbbing, as they range and rove,
" Ah, were he here, that man removed from grace,

204. Wherein, Commanding His Heart Return to Laura, He Discovers That It Had Never Come Away -

WHEREIN, COMMANDING HIS HEART RETURN TO LAURA, HE DISCOVERS THAT IT HAD NEVER COME AWAY P.

Gaze on that hill, O Heart with folly fretted!
Last night we left her who began to proffer
Some recognition for the pangs we suffer;
Now for new floods of pain we stand indebted
To her. Go back alone, I, still unnetted,
Remain. Who knows what slave the day may offer
To soften agony, what golden buffer,
Prophet that felt and partner that abetted! H.

O slave, in whom vain fancies boil and blunder!

203. Wherein His Grief For Laura's Sickness Increases -

WHEREIN HIS GRIEF FOR LAURA'S SICKNESS INCREASES RATHER THAN DIMINISHES HIS FLAME

The topmost Lord, against whom of no use
Is covert or combativeness or flight,
Inflamed my spirit to a new delight
By his own passionate and piercing ruse:
Though his first stroke, tearing my armour loose,
Were certain death, to aggravate my plight,
He shook a shaft of anguish in his right,
So my faint soul on both sides to abuse.
The one, a fiery wound, spurts sparks of hell,
The other tears, which grief on grief devise,

202. Wherein He Pleads Excess of Passion -

WHEREIN HE PLEADS EXCESS OF PASSION

Often have I implored, and still implore,
Praying to Love — rich agony, grim bliss —
To plead for me your mercy if, amiss,
My guilty steps should consciously ignore
The proper path: that Reason, Emperor
Of happier minds, is quelled by Lust's hot kiss
I know; and hence like Man in Genesis,
The victor, by my own will, shuts the door.
You, in whose breast Genius and Virtue dwell
With double blaze beneath a generous sky,
Never did star grace such a miracle!

201. Wherein He Envies the Kiss of Honour Bestowed upon Laura at a Banquet for Charles of Luxembourg -

WHEREIN HE ENVIES THE KISS OF HONOUR BESTOWED UPON LAURA AT A BANQUET FOR CHARLES OF LUXEMBURG

A purple nature, an exalted mind,
A soul unflawed, swift aspect and sharp eye,
Prompt penetration, thought as eagle-high
As worthy of the breast that holds it shrined:
A bright assemblage on that day combined
Each other in his honour to outvie,
When, in that throng, his sovereign glances fly
Lighting upon the loveliest they can find.
Heedless of age or rank or certain blood,
He motioned his most gentle preference,

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