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Love Naked

And would yee, louers, know
Why Loue doth naked goe?
Fond, waggish, changeling lad,
Late whilst Thaumantia's voyce
Hee wondring heard, it made him so rejoyce,
That hee o'rejoy'd ran mad,
And in a franticke fit threw cloathes away,
And since from lip and lap hers can not straye.

The Calamities of Love

Beauty, sweet despot! at whose rosy throne,
With fond obeisance, bows the willing earth;
Whose yoke the brave, whose sway the scepter'd, own;
Say, did the gods, in anger, give thee birth?

But to destroy, bright angel, wert thou sent?
The lovely plague, alluring scourge of Heav'n!
Was that soft eye, to scatter torments, meant?
Were those sweet smiles, to kindle anguish, giv'n?

Say, with severe intent, hath Nature fram'd
Of all her works the fairest as the last?
Hath she the lily's white, in vengeance, sham'd?

Melander Suppos'd to Love Susan, but Did Love Ann

Who doth presume my Mistress's name to scan,
Goes about more then any way he can,
Since all men think that it is Susan . Echo Ann .

What say'st? Then tell who is as white as Swan,
While others set by her are pale and wan,
Then, Echo , speak, Is it not Susan ? Ec. Ann .

Tell, Echo , yet, whose middle's but a span,
Some being gross as bucket, round as pan;
Say, Echo , then, Is it not Susan ? Ec. Ann .

Say, is she not soft as meal without bran,
Though yet in great hast once from me she ran,
Must I not however love Susan ? Ec. Ann .

Ditty

Deep Sighs, Records of my unpitied Grief,
Memorials of my true, though hopeless Love,
Keep time with my sad thoughts, till wish'd Relief
My long despairs for vain and causless prove.

Yet if such hap never to you befall,
I give you leave, break time, break heart and all.

Love Suffereth no Parasol

Those eyes, deare eyes, bee spheares,
Where two bright sunnes are roll'd;
That faire hand to behold,
Of whitest snowe appeares:
Then while yee coylie stand,
To hide from mee those eyes,
Sweet, I would you aduise
To choose some other fanne than that white hand;
For if yee doe, for trueth most true this know,
That sunnes ere long must needes consume warme snow.

Flower to Butterfly

Sweet, bide with me and let my love
Be an enduring tether;
Oh, wanton not from spot to spot,
But let us dwell together.

You 've come each morn to sip the sweets
With which you found me dripping,
Yet never knew it was not dew
But tears that you were sipping.

You gambol over honey meads
Where siren bees are humming;
But mine the fate to watch and wait
For my beloved's coming.

The sunshine that delights you now
Shall fade to darkness gloomy;
You should not fear if, biding here,
You nestled closer to me.

Three Cavaliers

There were three cavaliers that went over the Rhine,
And gayly they called to the hostess for wine.
" And where is thy daughter? We would she were here, —
Go fetch us that maiden to gladden our cheer! "

" I 'll fetch thee thy goblets full foaming, " she said,
" But in yon darkened chamber the maiden lies dead. "
And lo! as they stood in the doorway, the white
Of a shroud and a dead shrunken face met their sight.

Then the first cavalier breathed a pitiful sigh,
And the throb of his heart seemed to melt in his eye,

Ballad. In the Oddities

How much I love thee girl would'st know,
Better than rosin loves the bow,
Than treble shrill the growling bass,
Or spruce guitars a tawdry case.

No more then let us solo play,
To Hymen's temple jig away,
There when we get,
In a duet,
Of pleasure will we take our swing,
Joy's fiddle shall play,
Love's bells shall ring:
And while we celebrate the day,
We'll frisk away,
And laugh and play,
And dance and sing,
And frisk away like any thing.

II.

I love thee more, I really think,

Song. To Mira

I.

Why, cruel Creature! why so bent
To vex a tender heart?
To gold and title you relent,
Love throws in vain his dart.

II.

Let glitt'ring fools in courts be great,
For pay let armies move,
Beauty should have no other bait
But gentle vows and love.

III.

If on those endless charms you lay
The value that 's their due,
Kings are themselves too poor to pay,
A thousand worlds to few.

IV.

But if a passion without vice,
Without disguise or art,
Ah, Mira! if true love 's your price,

Reality

Love thy God, and love Him only:
And thy breast will ne'er be lonely.
In that one great Spirit meet
All things mighty, grave and sweet.
Vainly strives the soul to mingle
With a creature of our kind:
Vainly hearts with hearts are twined;
For the deepest still is single.
An impalpable resistance
Holds like natures still at distance.
Mortal! love that Holy One!
Or dwell for aye alone.