For life is short, and learning long, All pleasure mixt with woe; And joys do come and go. 20 Thus learning is but learned by halves, And joy enjoyed no while; That serves to show thee what thou want'st, This helps thee to beguile. But after death is perfect skill, And joy without decay; When sin is gone, that blinds our eyes, And steals our joys away; No crowing cock shall raise us up, To spend the day in vain; 215 30 The fairest pearls that northern seas do breed, For precious stones from eastern coasts are sold; Where goodness wants an equal change to make, No mortal thing can bear so high a price, But that with mortal thing it may be bought; 5 The corn of Sicil buys the western spice; French wine of us, of them our cloth is sought. No pearls, no gold, no stones, no corn, no spice, No cloth, no wine, of Love can pay the price. What thing is Love, which nought can countervail ? Divine is Love, and scorneth worldly pelf, Anon. IO 15 III A POESY TO PROVE AFFECTION IS NOT LOVE. Conceit, begotten by the eyes, Is quickly born, and quickly dies; For as the seeds, in springtime sown, Affection follows Fortune's wheels, 5 ΤΟ 15 For all affections have their change, And Fancy only loves to range. Desire himself runs out of breath, And, getting, doth but gain his death; And, blind, doth seldom choose the best : But as the cinders of the fire. As ships in ports desired are drowned; 20 25 The life expires, the woe remains. 30 And yet some poets fain would prove And that Desire is of that kind, As if wild beasts and men did seek To like, to love, to choose alike. Sir Walter Raleigh. IV LIFE. The World's a bubble, and the Life of Man Less than a span; In his conception wretched; from the womb So to the tomb; Curst from his cradle, and brought up to years Who then to frail mortality shall trust, But limns on water, or but writes in dust. 35 5 Yet whilst with sorrow here we live opprest, ΙΟ Courts are but only superficial schools To dandle fools: The rural parts are turned into a den And where's a city from foul vice so free, But may be termed the worst of all the three? Domestic cares afflict the husband's bed, Or pains his head: Those that live single, take it for a curse, Or do things worse: 15 Some would have children; those that have them, moan, Or wish them gone: What is it, then, to have, or have no wife, 20 But single thraldom, or a double strife? Our own affections still at home to please 25 To cross the seas to any foreign soil, Peril and toil: Wars with their noise affright us; when they cease, We' are worse in peace : What then remains, but that we still should cry For being born, or, being born, to die? Lord Bacon. 30 V NATURAL COMPARISONS WITH PERFECT LOVE. The lowest trees have tops; the ant her gall; 5 Where rivers smoothest run, deep are the fords; The dial stirs, yet none perceives it move; The firmest faith is in the fewest words; The turtles cannot sing, and yet they love. True hearts have eyes, and ears, no tongues to speak; IO And shines like rotten wood; What's good, and doth no good. If Church and Court reply, Tell Potentates they live Acting by others' action; Give Potentates the lie. Tell men of high condition, That manage the Estate, Their practice only hate. ΙΟ 15 20 |