The Shorter Poems

by Edmund Spenser

Decks all the forrest with embellishment,

  215

  And the blacke Holme that loues the watrie vale,

  And the sweete Cypresse signe of deadly bale.

  Emongst the rest the clambring Yuie grew,

  Knitting his wanton armes with grasping hold,

  Least that the Poplar happely should rew

  220

  Her brothers strokes, whose boughes she doth enfold

  With her lythe twigs, till they the top survew,

  And paint with pallid greene her buds of gold.

  Next did the Myrtle tree to her approach,

  Not yet vnmindfull of her olde reproach.

  225

  But the small Birds in their wide boughs embowring,

  Chaunted their sundrie tunes with sweete consent,

  And vnder them a siluer Spring forth powring

  His trickling streames, a gentle murmure sent;

  Thereto the frogs, bred in the slimie scowring

  230

  Of the moist moores, their iarring voyces bent;

  And shrill grashoppers chirped them around:

  All which the ayrie Echo did resound.

  In this so pleasant place this Shepheards flocke

  Lay euerie where, their wearie limbs to rest,

  235

  On euerie bush, and euerie hollow rocke

  Where breathe on them the whistling wind mote best;

  The whiles the Shepheard self tending his stocke,

  Sate by the fountaine side, in shade to rest,

  Where gentle slumbring sleep oppressed him,

  240

  Displaid on ground, and seized euerie lim.

  Of trecherie or traines nought tooke he keep,

  But looslie on the grassie greene dispredd,

  His dearest life did trust to careles sleep;

  Which weighing down his drouping drowsie hedd,

  245

  In quiet rest his molten heart did steep,

  Deuoid of care, and feare of all falshedd:

  Had not inconstant fortune, bent to ill,

  Bid strange mischance his quietnes to spill.

  For at his wonted time in that same place

  250

  An huge great Serpent all with speckles pide,

  To drench himselfe in moorish slime did trace,

  There from the boyling heate himselfe to hide:

  He passing by with rolling wreathed pace,

  With brandisht tongue the emptie aire did gride,

  255

  And wrapt his scalie boughts with fell despight,

  That all things seem’d appalled at his sight.

  Now more and more hauing himselfe enrolde,

  His glittering breast he lifteth vp on hie,

  And with proud vaunt his head aloft doth holde;

  260

  His creste aboue spotted with purple die,

  On euerie side did shine like scalie golde,

  And his bright eyes glauncing full dreadfullie,

  Did seeme to flame out flakes of flashing fyre,

  And with sterne lookes to threaten kindled yre.

  265

  Thus wise long time he did himselfe dispace

  There round about, when as at last he spide

  Lying along before him in that place,

  That flocks grand Captaine, and most trustie guide:

  Eftsoones more fierce in visage, and in pace,

  270

  Throwing his firie eyes on euerie side,

  He commeth on, and all things in his way

  Full stearnly rends, that might his passage stay.

  Much he disdaines, that anie one should dare

  To come vnto his haunt; for which intent

  275

  He inly burns, and gins straight to prepare

  The weapons, which Nature to him hath lent;

  Fellie he hisseth, and doth fiercely stare,

  And hath his iawes with angrie spirits rent,

  That all his tract with bloudie drops is stained,

  280

  And all his foldes are now in length outstrained.

  Whom thus at point prepared, to preuent,

  A litle noursling of the humid ayre,

  A Gnat vnto the sleepie Shepheard went,

  And marking where his ey-lids twinckling rare,

  285

  Shewd the two pearles, which sight vnto him lent,

  Through their thin couerings appearing fayre,

  His little needle there infixing deep,

  Warnd him awake, from death himselfe to keep.

  Wherewith enrag’d, he fiercely gan vpstart,

  290

  And with his hand him rashly bruzing, slewe

  As in auengement of his heedles smart,

  That streight the spirite out of his senses flew,

  And life out of his members did depart:

  When suddenly casting aside his vew,

  295

  He spide his foe with felonous intent,

  And feruent eyes to his destruction bent.

  All suddenly dismaid, and hartles quight,

  He fled abacke, and catching hastie holde

  Of a yong alder hard beside him pight,

  300

  It rent, and streight about him gan beholde,

  What God or Fortune would assist his might.

  But whether God or Fortune made him bold

  Its hard to read: yet hardie will he had

  To ouercome, that made him lesse adrad.

  305

  The scalie backe of that most hideous snake

  Enwrapped round, oft faining to retire,

  And oft him to assaile, he fiercely strake

  Whereas his temples did his creast-front tyre;

  And for he was but slowe, did slowth off shake,

  310

  And gazing ghastly on (for feare and yre

  Had blent so much his sense, that lesse he feard;)

  Yet when he saw him slaine, himselfe he cheard.

  By this the night forth from the darksome bowre

  Of Herebus her teemed steedes gan call,

  315

  And laesie Vesper in his timely howre

  From golden Oeta gan proceede withall;

  Whenas the Shepheard after this sharpe stowre,

  Seing the doubled shadowes low to fall,

  Gathering his straying flocke, does homeward fare,

  320

  And vnto rest his wearie ioynts prepare.

  Into whose sense so soone as lighter sleepe

  Was entered, and now loosing euerie lim,

  Sweete slumbring deaw in carelesnesse did steepe,

  The Image of that Gnat appeard to him,

  325

  And in sad tearmes gan sorrowfully weepe,

  With greislie countenaunce and visage grim,

  Wailing the wrong which he had done of late,

  In steed of good hastning his cruell fate.

  Said he, what haue I wretch deseru’d, that thus

  330

  Into this bitter bale I am outcast,

  Whilest that thy life more deare and precious

  Was than mine owne, so long as it did last?

  I now in lieu of paines so gracious,

  Am tost in th’ayre with euerie windie blast:

  335

  Thou safe deliuered from sad decay,

  Thy careles limbs in loose sleep dost display.

  So liuest thou, but my poore wretched ghost

  Is forst to ferrie ouer Lethes Riuer,

  And spoyld of Charon too and fro am tost.

  340

  Seest thou, how all places quake and quiuer

  Lightned with deadly lamps on euerie post?

  Tisiphone each where doth shake and shiuer

  Her flaming fire brond, encountring me,

  Whose lockes vncombed cruell adders be.

  345

  And Cerberus, whose many mouthes doo bay,

  And barke out flames, as if on fire he
fed;

  Adowne whose necke in terrible array,

  Ten thousand snakes cralling about his hed

  Doo hang in heapes, that horribly affray,

  350

  And bloodie eyes doo glister firie red;

  He oftentimes me dreadfullie doth threaten,

  With painfull torments to be sorely beaten.

  Ay me, that thankes so much should faile of meed,

  For that I thee restor’d to life againe,

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  Euen from the doore of death and deadlie dreed.

  Where then is now the guerdon of my paine?

  Where the reward of my so piteous deed?

  The praise of pitie vanisht is in vaine,

  And th’antique faith of Iustice long agone

  360

  Out of the land is fled away and gone.

  I saw anothers fate approaching fast,

  And left mine owne his safetie to tender;

  Into the same mishap I now am cast,

  And shun’d destruction doth destruction render:

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  Not vnto him that neuer hath trespast,

  But punishment is due to the offender.

  Yet let destruction be the punishment,

  So long as thankfull will may it relent.

  I carried am into waste wildernesse,

  370

  Waste wildernes, amongst Cymerian shades,

  Where endles paines and hideous heauinesse

  Is round about me heapt in darksome glades.

  For there huge Othos sits in sad distresse,

  Fast bound with serpents that him oft inuades;

  375

  Far of beholding Ephialtes tide,

  Which once assai’d to burne this world so wide.

  And there is mournfull Tityus mindefull yet

  Of thy displeasure, O Latona faire;

  Displeasure too implacable was it,

  380

  That made him meat for wild foules of the ayre:

  Much do I feare among such fiends to sit;

  Much do I feare back to them to repayre,

  To the black shadowes of the Stygian shore,

  Where wretched ghosts sit wailing euermore.

  385

  There next the vtmost brinck doth he abide,

  That did the bankets of the Gods bewray,

  Whose throat through thirst to nought nigh being dride

  His sense to seeke for ease turnes euery way:

  And he that in auengement of his pride,

  390

  For scorning to the sacred Gods to pray,

  Against a mountaine rolls a mightie stone,

  Calling in vaine for rest, and can haue none.

  Go ye with them, go cursed damosells,

  Whose bridale torches foule Erynnis tynde,

  395

  And Hymen at your Spousalls sad, foretells

  Tydings of death and massacre vnkinde:

  With them that cruell Colchid mother dwells,

  The which conceiu’d in her reuengefull minde,

  With bitter woundes her owne deere babes to slay,

  400

  And murdred troupes vpon great heapes to lay.

  There also those two Pandionian maides,

  Calling on Itis, Itis euermore,

  Whom wretched boy they slew with guiltie blades;

  For whome the Thracian king lamenting sore,

  405

  Turn’d to a Lapwing, fowlie them vpbraydes,

  And fluttering round about them still does sore;

  There now they all eternally complaine

  Of others wrong, and suffer endles paine.

  But the two brethren borne of Cadmus blood,

  410

  Whilst each does for the Soueraignty contend,

  Blinde through ambition, and with vengeance wood

  Each doth against the others bodie bend

  His cursed steele, of neither well withstood,

  And with wide wounds their carcases doth rend;

  415

  That yet they both doe mortall foes remaine,

  Sith each with brothers bloudie hand was slaine.

  Ah (waladay) there is no end of paine,

  Nor chaunge of labour may intreated bee:

  Yet I beyond all these am carried faine,

  420

  Where other powers farre different I see,

  And must passe ouer to th’Elisian plaine:

  There grim Persephone encountring mee,

  Doth vrge her fellow Furies earnestlie,

  With their bright firebronds me to terrifie.

  425

  There chast Alceste liues inuiolate,

  Free from all care, for that her husbands daies

  She did prolong by changing fate for fate,

  Lo there liues also the immortall praise

  Of womankinde, most faithfull to her mate,

  430

  Penelope: and from her farre awayes

  A rulesse rout of yongmen, which her woo’d

  All slaine with darts, lie wallowed in their blood.

  And sad Eurydice thence now no more

  Must turne to life, but there detained bee,

  435

  For looking back, being forbid before:

  Yet was the guilt thereof, Orpheus, in thee.

  Bold sure he was, and worthie spirite bore,

  That durst those lowest shadowes goe to see,

  And could beleeue that anie thing could please

  440

  Fell Cerberus, or Stygian powres appease.

  Ne feard the burning waues of Phlegeton,

  Nor those same mournfull kingdomes, compassed

  With rustie horrour and fowle fashion,

  And deep digd vawtes, and Tartar couered

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  With bloodie night, and darke confusion,

  And iudgement seates, whose Iudge is deadlie dred,

  A iudge, that after death doth punish sore

  The faults, which life hath trespassed before.

  But valiant fortune made Dan Orpheus bolde:

  450

  For the swift running riuers still did stand,

  And the wilde beasts their furie did withhold,

  To follow Orpheus musicke through the land:

  And th’Okes deep grounded in the earthly molde

  Did moue, as if they could him vnderstand;

  455

  And the shrill woods, which were of sense bereau’d,

  Through their hard barke his siluer sound receau’d.

  And eke the Moone her hastie steedes did stay,

  Drawing in teemes along the starrie skie,

  And didst (O monthly Virgin) thou delay

  460

  Thy nightly course, to heare his melodie?

  The same was able with like louely lay

  The Queene of hell to moue as easily,

  To yeeld Eurydice vnto her fere,

  Backe to be borne, though it vnlawfull were.

  465

  She (Ladie) hauing well before approoued,

  The feends to be too cruell and seuere,

  Obseru’d th’appointed way, as her behooued,

  Ne euer did her ey-sight turne arere,