The Shorter Poems

by Edmund Spenser

Ne euer spake, ne cause of speaking mooued:

  470

  But cruell Orpheus, thou much crueller,

  Seeking to kisse her, brok’st the Gods decree,

  And thereby mad’st her euer damn’d to be.

  Ah but sweete loue of pardon worthie is,

  And doth deserue to haue small faults remitted;

  475

  If Hell at least things lightly done amis

  Knew how to pardon, when ought is omitted:

  Yet are ye both receiued into blis,

  And to the seates of happie soules admitted.

  And you, beside the honourable band

  480

  Of great Heroës doo in order stand.

  There be the two stout sonnes of Aeacus,

  Fierce Peleus, and the hardie Telamon,

  Both seeming now full glad and ioyeous

  Through their Syres dreadfull iurisdiction,

  485

  Being the Iudge of all that horrid hous:

  And both of them by strange occasion,

  Renown’d in choyce of happie marriage

  Through Venus grace, and vertues cariage.

  For th’one was rauisht of his owne bondmaide,

  490

  The faire Hesione captiu’d from Troy:

  But th’other was with Thetis loue assaid,

  Great Nereus his daughter, and his ioy.

  On this side them there is a yongman layd,

  Their match in glorie, mightie, fierce and coy;

  495

  That from th’Argolick ships, with furious yre,

  Bett back the furie of the Troian fyre.

  O who would not recount the strong diuorces

  Of that great warre, which Troianes oft behelde,

  And oft beheld the warlike Greekish forces,

  500

  When Teucrian soyle with bloodie riuers swelde,

  And wide Sigœan shores were spred with corses,

  And Simois and Xanthus blood outwelde,

  Whilst Hector raged with outragious minde,

  Flames, weapons, wounds in Greeks fleete to haue tynde.

  505

  For Ida selfe, in ayde of that fierce fight,

  Out of her mountaines ministred supplies,

  And like a kindly nourse, did yeeld (for spight)

  Store of firebronds out of her nourseries,

  Vnto her foster children, that they might

  510

  Inflame the Nauie of their enemies,

  And all the Rhetœan shore to ashes turne,

  Where lay the ships, which they did seeke to burne.

  Gainst which the noble sonne of Telamon

  Opposd’ himselfe, and thwarting his huge shield,

  515

  Them battell bad, gainst whom appeard anon

  Hector, the glorie of the Troian field:

  Both fierce and furious in contention

  Encountred, that their mightie strokes so shrild,

  As the great clap of thunder, which doth ryue

  520

  The ratling heauens, and cloudes asunder dryue.

  So th’one with fire and weapons did contend

  To cut the ships, from turning home againe

  To Argos, th’other stroue for to defend

  The force of Vulcane with his might and maine.

  525

  Thus th’one Aeacide did his fame extend:

  But th’other ioy’d, that on the Phrygian playne

  Hauing the blood of vanquisht Hector shedd,

  He compast Troy thrice with his bodie dedd.

  Againe great dole on either partie grewe,

  530

  That him to death vnfaithfull Paris sent,

  And also him that false Vlysses slewe,

  Drawne into danger through close ambushment:

  Therefore from him Laërtes sonne his vewe

  Doth turne aside, and boasts his good euent

  535

  In working of Strymonian Rhœsus fall,

  And efte in Dolons slye surprysall.

  Againe the dreadfull Cycones him dismay,

  And blacke Lœstrigones, a people stout:

  Then greedie Scilla, vnder whom there bay

  540

  Manie great bandogs, which her gird about:

  Then doo the Aetnean Cyclops him affray,

  And deep Charybdis gulphing in and out:

  Lastly the squalid lakes of Tartarie,

  And griesly Feends of hell him terrific.

  545

  There also goodly Agamemnon bosts,

  The glorie of the stock of Tantalus,

  And famous light of all the Greekish hosts,

  Vnder whose conduct most victorious,

  The Dorick flames consum’d the Iliack posts.

  550

  Ah but the Greekes themselues more dolorous,

  To thee, O Troy, paid penaunce for thy fall,

  In th’Hellespont being nigh drowned all.

  Well may appeare by proofe of their mischaunce,

  The chaungfull turning of mens slipperie state,

  555

  That none, whom fortune freely doth aduaunce,

  Himselfe therefore to heauen should eleuate:

  For loftie type of honour through the glaunce

  Of enuies dart, is downe in dust prostrate;

  And all that vaunts in worldly vanitie,

  560

  Shall fall through fortunes mutabilitie.

  Th’Argolicke power returning home againe,

  Enricht with spoyles of th’Ericthonian towre,

  Did happie winde and weather entertaine,

  And with good speed the fomie billowes scowre:

  565

  No signe of storme, no feare of future paine,

  Which soone ensued them with heauie stowre.

  Nereïs to the Seas a token gaue,

  The whiles their crooked keeles the surges claue.

  Suddenly, whether through the Gods decree,

  570

  Or haplesse rising of some froward starre,

  The heauens on euerie side enclowded bee:

  Black stormes and fogs are blowen vp from farre,

  That now the Pylote can no loadstarre see,

  But skies and seas doo make most dreadfull warre;

  575

  The billowes striuing to the heauens to reach,

  And th’heauens striuing them for to impeach.

  And in auengement of their bold attempt,

  Both Sun and starres and all the heauenly powres

  Conspire in one to wreake their rash contempt,

  580

  And downe on them to fall from highest towres:

  The skie in pieces seeming to be rent,

  Throwes lightning forth, and haile, and harmful showres

  That death on euerie side to them appeares

  In thousand formes, to worke more ghastly feares.

  585

  Some in the greedie flouds are sunke and drent,

  Some on the rocks of Caphareus are throwne;

  Some on th’Euboick Cliffs in pieces rent;

  Some scattred on the Hercœan shores vnknowne;

  And manie lost, of whom no moniment

  590

  Remaines, nor memorie is to be showne:

  Whilst all the purchase of the Phrigian pray

  Tost on salt billowes, round about doth stray.

  Here manie other like Heroës bee,

  Equall in honour to the former crue,

  595

  Whom ye in goodly seates may placed see,

  Descended all from Rome by linage due,

  From Rome, that holds the world in souereigntie,

  And doth all Nations vnto her subdue:

  Here Fabij and Decij doo dwell,

  600

  Horatij that in vertue did excell.

  And here the antique fame of stout Camill

  Doth euer liue, and constant Curtius,

  Who stifly bent his vowed life to sp
ill

  For Countreyes health, a gulph most hideous

  605

  Amidst the Towne with his owne corps did fill,

  T’appease the powers; and prudent Mutius,

  Who in his flesh endur’d the scorching flame,

  To daunt his foe by ensample of the same.

  And here wise Curius, companion

  610

  Of noble vertues, liues in endles rest;

  And stout Flaminius, whose deuotion

  Taught him the fires scorn’d furie to detest;

  And here the praise of either Scipion

  Abides in highest place aboue the best,

  615

  To whom the ruin’d walls of Carthage vow’d,

  Trembling their forces, sound their praises lowd.

  Liue they for euer through their lasting praise:

  But I poore wretch am forced to retourne

  To the sad lakes, that Phœbus sunnie rayes

  620

  Doo neuer see, where soules doo alwaies mourne,

  And by the wayling shores to waste my dayes,

  Where Phlegeton with quenchles flames doth burne;

  By which iust Minos righteous soules doth seuer

  From wicked ones, to liue in blisse for euer.

  625

  Me therefore thus the cruell fiends of hell

  Girt with long snakes, and thousand yron chaynes,

  Through doome of that their cruell Iudge, compell

  With bitter torture and impatient paines,

  Cause of my death, and iust complaint to tell.

  630

  For thou art he, whom my poore ghost complaines

  To be the author of her ill vnwares,

  That careles hear’st my intollerable cares.

  Them therefore as bequeathing to the winde,

  I now depart, returning to thee neuer,

  635

  And leaue this lamentable plaint behinde.

  But doo thou haunt the soft downe rolling riuer,

  And wilde greene woods, and fruitful pastures minde,

  And let the flitting aire my vaine words seuer.

  Thus hauing said, he heauily departed

  640

  With piteous crie, that anie would haue smarted.

  Now, when the sloathfull fit of lifes sweete rest

  Had left the heauie Shepheard, wondrous cares

  His inly grieued minde full sore opprest;

  That balefull sorrow he no longer beares,

  645

  For that Gnats death, which deeply was imprest:

  But bends what euer power his aged yeares

  Him lent, yet being such, as through their might

  He lately slue his dreadfull foe in fight.

  By that same Riuer lurking vnder greene,

  650

  Eftsoones he gins to fashion forth a place,

  And squaring it in compasse well beseene,

  There plotteth out a tombe by measured space:

  His yron headed spade tho making cleene,

  To dig vp sods out of the flowrie grasse,

  655

  His worke he shortly to good purpose brought,

  Like as he had conceiu’d it in his thought.

  An heape of earth he hoorded vp on hie,

  Enclosing it with banks on euerie side,

  And thereupon did raise full busily

  660

  A little mount, of greene turffs edifide;

  And on the top of all, that passers by

  Might it behold, the toomb he did prouide

  Of smoothest marble stone in order set,

  That neuer might his luckie scape forget.

  665

  And round about he taught sweete flowres to growe,

  The Rose engrained in pure scarlet die,

  The Lilly fresh, and Violet belowe,

  The Marigolde, and cherefull Rosemarie,

  The Spartan Mirtle, whence sweet gumb does flowe,

  670

  The purple Hyacinthe, and fresh Costmarie,

  And Saffron sought for in Cilician soyle,

  And Lawrell th’ornament of Phœbus toyle.

  Fresh Rhododaphne, and the Sabine flowre

  Matching the wealth of th’auncient Frankincence,

  675

  And pallid Yuie building his owne bowre,

  And Box yet mindfull of his olde offence,

  Red Amaranthus, lucklesse Paramour,

  Oxeye still greene, and bitter Patience;

  Ne wants there pale Narcisse, that in a well

  680

  Seeing his beautie, in loue with it fell,

  And whatsoeuer other flowre of worth,

  And whatso other hearb of louely hew

  The ioyous Spring out of the ground brings forth,

  To cloath her selfe in colours fresh and new;

  685

  He planted there, and reard a mount of earth,

  In whose high front was writ as doth ensue.

  To thee, small Gnat, in lieu of his life saued,

  The Shepheard hath thy deaths record engraued.

  FINIS.

  To the right Honourable, the

  Ladie Compton and

  Mountegle.

  Most faire and vertuous Ladie; hauing often sought opportunitie

  by some good meanes to make knowen to your Ladiship, the humble

  affection and faithfull duetie, which I haue alwaies professed, and

  am bound to beare to that House, from whence yee spring, I haue

  5

  at length found occasion to remember the same, by making a simple

  present to you of these my idle labours; which hauing long sithens

  composed in the raw conceipt of my youth, I lately amongst other

  papers lighted vpon, and was by others, which liked the same,

  mooued to set them foorth. Simple is the deuice, and the composition

  10

  meane, yet carrieth some delight, euen the rather because of the

  simplicitie and meannesse thus personated. The same I beseech

  your Ladiship take in good part, as a pledge of that profession

  which I haue made to you, and keepe with you vntill with some

  other more worthie labour, I do redeeme it out of your hands, and

  15

  discharge my vtmost dutie. Till then wishing your Ladiship all

  increase of honour and happinesse, I humblie take leaue.

  Your La: euer

  humbly;

  Ed. Sp.

  Prosopopoia: or Mother Hubberds Tale.

  It was the month, in which the righteous Maide,

  That for disdaine of sinfull worlds vpbraide,

  Fled back to heauen, whence she was first conceiued,

  Into her siluer bowre the Sunne receiued;

  5

  And the hot Syrian Dog on him awayting,

  After the chafed Lyons cruell bayting,

  Corrupted had th’ayre with his noysome breath,

  And powr’d on th’earth plague, pestilence, and death.

  Emongst the rest a wicked maladie

  10

  Raign’d emongst men, that manie did to die,

  Depriu’d of sense and ordinarie reason;