On The Death Of Mr William Hervey
IT was a dismal and a fearful night: Scarce could the Morn drive on th’ unwilling Light, When Sleep, Death’s image, left my troubled breast By something liker Death possest. My eyes with tears did uncommanded flow, And on my soul hung the dull weight Of some intolerable fate. What bell was that? Ah […]
On The Death Of Mr Crashaw
Poet and Saint! to thee alone are given The two most sacred names of earth and heaven, The hard and rarest union which can be Next that of godhead with humanity. Long did the Muses banish’d slaves abide, And built vain pyramids to mortal pride; Like Moses thou (though spells and charms withstand) Hast […]
Of Wit
TELL me, O tell, what kind of thing is Wit, Thou who Master art of it. For the First matter loves Variety less ; Less Women love ‘t, either in Love or Dress. A thousand different shapes it bears, Comely in thousand shapes appears. Yonder we saw it plain ; and here ’tis now, […]
Not Fair
‘T IS very true, I thought you once as fair As women in th’ idea are;* Whatever here seems beauteous, seem’d to be But a faint metaphor of thee: But then, methoughts, there something shin’d within, Which casts this lustre o’er thy skin; Nor could I choose but count it the sun’s light, Which […]
Life
Life’s a name That nothing here can truly claim; This wretched inn, where we scarce stay to bait, We call our dwelling-place! And mighty voyages we take, And mighty journeys seem to make, O’er sea and land, the little point that has no space. Because we fight and battles gain, Some captives call, and […]
Hymn To Light
First-born of Chaos, who so fair didst come From the old Negro’s darksome womb! Which, when it saw the lovely child, The melancholy mass put on kind looks and smiled, Thou tide of glory which no rest dost know, But ever ebb and ever flow! Thou golden shower of a true Jove, Who does […]
Hymn Light
First-born of Chaos, who so fair didst come From the old Negro’s darksome womb! Which, when it saw the lovely child, The melancholy mass put on kind looks and smiled, Thou tide of glory which no rest dost know, But ever ebb and ever flow! Thou golden shower of a true Jove, Who does […]
Epitaph
Underneath this marble stone, Lie two beauties joyn’d in one. Two whose loves, death could not sever, For both liv’d, both dy’d together. Two whose soules, being too divine For earth, in their own spheare now shine, Who have left their loves to Fame, And their earth to earth againe. Poetry Monster […]
Despair
Beneath this gloomy shade, By Nature only for my sorrows made, I’ll spend this voyce in crys, In tears I’ll waste these eyes By Love so vainly fed; So Lust of old the Deluge punished. Ah wretched youth! said I, “Ah, wretched youth!” twice did I sadly cry: “Ah, wretched youth!” the fields and […]
Death Sir Henry Wootton
What shall we say, since silent now is he Who when he spoke, all things would silent be? Who had so many languages in store, That only fame shall speak of him in more; Whom England now no more return’d must see; He’s gone to heaven on his fourth embassy. On earth he travell’d […]
Davideis Sacred Poem Troubles David Excerpt
BOOK I (excerpt) I sing the man who Judah’s sceptre bore In that right hand which held the crook before; Who from best poet, best of kings did grow; The two chief gifts Heav’n could on man bestow. Much danger first, much toil did he sustain, Whilst Saul and Hell cross’d his strong fate […]
Davideis A Sacred Poem Of The Troubles Of David Excerpt
BOOK I (excerpt) I sing the man who Judah’s sceptre bore In that right hand which held the crook before; Who from best poet, best of kings did grow; The two chief gifts Heav’n could on man bestow. Much danger first, much toil did he sustain, Whilst Saul and Hell cross’d his strong fate […]
Cousel
AH! what advice can I receive! No, satisfy me first; For who would physick-potions give To one that dies with thirst? A little puff of breath, we find, Small fires can quench and kill; But, when they’re great, the adverse wind Does make them greater still. Now whilst you speak, it moves me much, […]
Constantias Song
Time fly with greater speed away, Add feathers to thy wings, Till thy haste in flying brings That wished-for and expected Day. Comfort’s Son we then shall see, Though at first it darkened be With dangers yet, those clouds but gone, Our Day will put his lustre on. Then though Death’s sad night appear, […]
Constantia039s Song
Time fly with greater speed away, Add feathers to thy wings, Till thy haste in flying brings That wished-for and expected Day. Comfort’s Son we then shall see, Though at first it darkened be With dangers yet, those clouds but gone, Our Day will put his lustre on. Then though Death’s sad night appear, […]
Concealment
No; to what purpose should I speak? No, wretched heart! swell till you break. She cannot love me if she would; And, to say truth, ’twere pity that she should. No; to the grave thy sorrows bear; As silent as they will be there: Since that lov’d hand this mortal wound does give, So […]
Chronicle
A BALLAD. MARGARITA first possest, If I remember well, my brest, Margarita first of all; But when awhile the wanton maid With my restless heart had play’d, Martha took the flying ball. Martha soon did it resign To the beauteous Catharine. Beauteous Catharine gave place (Though loth and angry she to part With the […]
Change
LOVE in her sunny eyes does basking play; Love walks the pleasant mazes of her hair; Love does on both her lips for ever stray And sows and reaps a thousand kisses there. In all her outward parts Love’s always seen; But, oh, He never went within. Within Love’s foes, his greatest foes abide, […]
Beauty
LIBERAL Nature did dispence To all things Arms for their defence; And some she arms with sin’ewy force, And some with swiftness in the course; Some with hard Hoofs, or forked claws, And some with Horns, or tusked jaws. And some with Scales, and some with Wings, And some with Teeth, and some with […]
Bathing River
The fish around her crowded, as they do To the false light that treacherous fisher shew, And all with as much ease might taken be, As she at first took me; For ne’er did light so clear Among the waves appear, Though every night the sun himself set there. Why to mute fish shouldst […]
Bathing In The River
The fish around her crowded, as they do To the false light that treacherous fisher shew, And all with as much ease might taken be, As she at first took me; For ne’er did light so clear Among the waves appear, Though every night the sun himself set there. Why to mute fish shouldst […]
Answer Copy Verses Sent Me Jersey
As to a northern people (whom the sun Uses just as the Romish church has done Her prophane laity, and does assign Bread only both to serve for bread and wine) A rich Canary fleet welcome arrives; Such comfort to us here your letter gives, Fraught with brisk racy verses; in which we The […]
Anacreontics The Swallow
FOOLISH prater, what dost thou So early at my window do? Cruel bird, thou’st ta’en away A dream out of my arms to-day; A dream that ne’er must equall’d be By all that waking eyes may see. Thou this damage to repair Nothing half so sweet and fair, Nothing half so good, canst bring, […]
Anacreontics The Epicure
UNDERNEATH this myrtle shade, On flowerly beds supinely laid, With odorous oils my head o’erflowing, And around it roses growing, What should I do but drink away The heat and troubles of the day? In this more than kingly state Love himself on me shall wait. Fill to me, Love! nay, fill it up! […]
Anacreontics Drinking
THE thirsty earth soaks up the rain, And drinks and gapes for drink again; The plants suck in the earth, and are With constant drinking fresh and fair; The sea itself (which one would think Should have but little need of drink) Drinks twice ten thousand rivers up, So fill’d that they o’erflow the […]
An Answer To A Copy Of Verses Sent Me To Jersey
As to a northern people (whom the sun Uses just as the Romish church has done Her prophane laity, and does assign Bread only both to serve for bread and wine) A rich Canary fleet welcome arrives; Such comfort to us here your letter gives, Fraught with brisk racy verses; in which we The […]
Against Hope
HOPE, whose weak Being ruin’d is, Alike if it succeed, and if it miss ; Whom Good or Ill does equally confound, And both the Horns of Fates Dilemma wound. Vain shadow! which dost vanish quite, Both at full Noon, and perfect Night ! The Stars have not a possibility Of blessing Thee ; […]
Against Fruition
No; thou’rt a fool, I’ll swear, if e’er thou grant; Much of my veneration thou must want, When once thy kindness puts my ignorance out, For a learn’d age is always least devout. Keep still thy distance; for at once to me Goddess and woman too thou canst not be; Thou’rt queen of all […]
Of Myself – the Essay and Poems on Myself by Abraham Cowley
OF MYSELF. It is a hard and nice subject for a man to write of himself; it grates his own heart to say anything of disparagement and the reader’s ears to hear anything of praise for him. There is no danger from me of offending him in this kind; neither my mind, nor my body, […]