Chapter 6

Tread you the maze, sweet love, that I have run, Mark but the steps which I imprinted have; End but your love whereas my thoughts begun; So shall I joy and you a servant have. If not, sweet love, then this my suit deny; So shall you live, and so your servant die.

AN ELEGY

I

Down in a bed and on a bed of down, Love, she, and I to sleep together lay; She like a wanton kissed me with a frown, Sleep, sleep, she said, but meant to steal away; I could not choose but kiss, but wake, but smile, To see how she thought us two to beguile.

She feigned a sleep, I waked her with a kiss; A kiss to me she gave to make me sleep; If I did wrong, sweet love, my fault was this, In that I did not you thus waking keep. "Then kiss me, sweet, that so I sleep may take, Or let me kiss to keep you still awake."

The night drew on and needs she must be gone; She wakèd Love, and bid him learn to wait; She sighed, she said, to leave me there alone, And bid Love stay but practise no deceit. Love wept for grief, and sighing made great moan, And could not sleep nor stay if she were gone.

"Then stay, sweet love;" a kiss with that I gave; She could not stay, but gave my kiss again; A kiss was all that I could get or crave, And with a kiss she bound me to remain. "Ah Licia," still I in my dreams did cry, "Come, Licia, come, or else my heart will die."

II

Distance of place my love and me did part, Yet both did swear we never would remove; In sign thereof I bid her take my heart, Which did, and doth, and can not choose but love. Thus did we part in hope to meet again, Where both did vow most constant to remain.

A she there was that passed betwixt us both, By whom each knew how other's cause did fare; For men to trust men in their love are loth; Thus had we both of love a lover's care. Haply he seeks his sorrows to renew, That for his love doth make another sue.

By her a kiss, a kiss to me she sent. A kiss for price more worth than purest gold. She gave it her, to me the kiss was meant; A she to kiss, what harm if she were bold? Happy those lips that had so sweet a kiss, For heaven itself scarce yields so sweet a bliss!

This modest she, blushing for shame of this, Or loth to part from that she liked so well, Did play false play, and gave me not the kiss; Yet my love's kindness could not choose to tell. Then blame me not, that kissing sighed and swore I kissed but her whom you had kissed before.

Sweet, love me more, and blame me not, sweet love; I kissed those lips, yet harmless I do vow; Scarce would my lips from off those lips remove, For still methought, sweet fair, I kissèd you. And thus, kind love, the sum of all my bliss Was but begun and ended in a kiss.

Then send me more, but send them by your friend; Kiss none but her, nor her, nor none at all. Beware by whom such treasures you do send, I must them lose except I for them call. And love me, dear, and still still kissing be; Both like and love, but none, sweet love, but me.

III

If sad complaint would show a lover's pain, Or tears express the torments of my heart, If melting sighs would ruth and pity gain, Or true laments but ease a lover's smart;

Then should my plaints the thunder's noise surmount, And tears like seas should flow from out my eyes; Then sighs like air should far exceed all count, And true laments with sorrow dim the skies.

But plaints and tears, laments and sighs I spend, Yet greater torments do my heart destroy; I could all these from out my heart still send, If after these I might my love enjoy.

But heavens conspire, and heavens I must obey, That seeking love I still must want my ease; For greatest joys are tempered with delay, Things soon obtained do least of all us please.

My thoughts repine and think the time too long, My love impatient wisheth to obtain; I blame the heavens that do me all this wrong To make me loved and will not ease my pain.

No pain like this, to love and not enjoy; No grief like this, to mourn and not be heard; No time so long as that which breeds annoy; No hell like this, to love and be deferred!

But heaven shall stand and earth inconstant fly, The sun shall freeze and ice inconstant burn, The mountains flow and all the earth be dry, Ere time shall force my loving thoughts to turn.

Do you resolve, sweet love, to do the same, Say that you do, and seal it with a kiss. Then shall our truths the heavens' unkindness blame That can not hurt yet show their spite in this.

The silly 'prentice bound for many years, Doth hope that time his service will release; The town beseiged that lives in midst of fears, Doth hope in time the cruel wars will cease.

The toiling plough-man sings in hope to reap, The tosséd bark expecteth for a shore; The boy at school to be at play doth leap, And straight forgets the fear he had before.

If those by hope do joy in their distress, And constant are in hope to conquer time, Then let not hope in us, sweet friend, be less, And cause our love to wither in the prime.

Let me conspire and time will have an end, So both of us in time shall have a friend.

FINIS.

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