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Contemplation: or, The Triumph of Love

O voice divine, whose heavenly strain
No mortal measure may attain,
O powerful to appease the smart,
That festers in a wounded heart,
Whose mystic numbers can assuage
The bosom of tumultuous Rage,
Can strike the dagger from Despair,
And shut the watchful eye of Care.
Oft lur'd by thee, when wretches call,
Hope comes, that cheers or softens all;
Expell'd by thee and dispossest,
Envy forsakes the human breast.
Full oft with thee the bard retires,
And lost to earth, to Heav'n aspires;
How nobly lost! with thee to rove

Verses Recited by a Maiden for Her Lover

Water from straws or wisps
is no love charm for thee;
'tis drawing to thee ardently
the love of him that pleaseth thee.

On Sunday rise thou early
to a level, broad flagstone;
and take with thee specimens
of butter-bur and monkshood;
lift those on thy shoulder
in a wooden shovel.

Get nine stalks of bracken,
cut down with an axe,
and three bones of an old man,
extracted from a grave;
burn it on a faggot fire,
and reduce the whole to ash.

Rub this on his white breast,
while facing the north wind,

Side by Side

I.

( FRIEND AND FRIEND .)

May we, then, never know each other?
Who love each other more, I dare
Affirm for both, than brother brother,
Ay! more, my friend, than they that are
The children of one mother.

A look — and lo, our natures meet!
A word — our minds make one reply!
A touch — our hearts have but one beat!
And, if we walk together — why,

Epigram

" Man! put no trust in mysteries
Which none can understand:
Such dreams have sown iniquities
O'er every land:Dream not, but work! that Love and Peace
May o'er all states preside. "
These words " thy wisest " spoke, oh, Greece,
And therefore died.

Loves Lament

My Loue allace is Loathsum wnto me: restles I liue in absence of my sweete
The harde mishapis I have incurred latelye: hes with dispaire ourquhelm'd my weerie spreit: O the Loyell saul is this the fates decreete: may I noucht haue your presens as befoir
Adew contentment till thow me intreit, so sall be sene ay till thow me restoir
Knew I allace the way I might deploir not to the world but to thy self my teers
Onlie by the may cuirit be my soir, ten thousand heartes may not sustene sic weeres
No worldlie pleesure can expell my paine; but presence of my deerest deer agane.

Genius and Love

I am so desolate,
Genius sighs—
Come, Love, and be my mate,
Give me thine eyes.

I am aweary,
Love, give me rest;
Leave me not dreary,
Give me thy breast.

The lark looks to heaven,
The flower to the sun;
But my heart is sore riven
For thy beauty, sweet one.

Give me thy presence,
My life to eufold;
Then care and sorrow hence,
My life thou shalt hold.

Song

SONG.

Now (as I live) I love thee much,
And fain would love thee more,
Did I but know thy temper such,
As could give o're.

But to ingage thy Virgin-heart,
Then leave it in distresse,
Were to betray thy brave desert,
And make it lesse.

Were all the Eastern Treasures mine,
I'de pour them at thy feet:
But to invite a Prince to dine

To This Written by a Gentlewoman, the Answer Underneath was Given

Believe not him whom Love hath left so wise,
As to have power his own tale to tell;
For Childrens griefs do yield the loudest cryes,
And cold desires may be expressed well.
In well-told Love most often falshood lyes.
But pity him that onely sighs and Dyes.

His Answer.

Yet trust him that a sad tale tells,
With sighs and tears in's eyes:
For Love with torture often dwells,