The Shorter Poems

by Edmund Spenser

  And eke from far obseru’d with iealous eie,

  135

  Which way his course the wanton Bregog bent,

  Him to deceiue for all his watchfull ward,

  The wily louer did deuise this slight:

  First into many parts his streame he shar’d,

  That whilest the one was watcht, the other might

  140

  Passe vnespide to meete her by the way;

  And then besides, those little streames so broken

  He vnder ground so closely did conuay,

  That of their passage doth appeare no token,

  Till they into the Mullaes water slide.

  145

  So secretly did he his loue enioy:

  Yet not so secret, but it was descride,

  And told her father by a shepheards boy.

  Who wondrous wroth for that so foule despight,

  In great auenge did roll downe from his hill

  150

  Huge mightie stones, the which encomber might

  His passage, and his water-courses spill.

  So of a Riuer, which he was of old,

  He none was made, but scattred all to nought,

  And lost emong those rocks into him rold,

  155

  Did lose his name: so deare his loue he bought.

  Which hauing said, him Thestylis bespake,

  Now by my life this was a mery lay:

  Worthie of Colin selfe, that did it make.

  But read now eke of friendship I thee pray,

  160

  What dittie did that other shepheard sing?

  For I do couet most the same to heare,

  As men vse most to couet forreine thing.

  That shall I eke (quoth he) to you declare.

  His song was all a lamentable lay,

  165

  Of great vnkindnesse, and of vsage hard,

  Of Cynthia the Ladie of the sea,

  Which from her presence faultlesse him debard.

  And euer and anon with singulfs rife,

  He cryed out, to make his vndersong

  170

  Ah my loues queene, and goddesse of my life,

  Who shall me pittie, when thou doest me wrong?

  Then gan a gentle bonylasse to speake,

  That Marin hight, Right well he sure did plaine:

  That could great Cynthiaes sore displeasure breake,

  175

  And moue to take him to her grace againe.

  But tell on further Colin, as befell

  Twixt him and thee, that thee did hence dissuade.

  When thus our pipes we both had wearied well,

  (Quoth he) and each an end of singing made,

  180

  He gan to cast great lyking to my lore,

  And great dislyking to my lucklesse lot:

  That banisht had my selfe, like wight forlore,

  Into that waste, where I was quite forgot.

  The which to leaue, thenceforth he counseld mee,

  185

  Vnmeet for man, in whom was ought regardfull

  And wend with him, his Cynthia to see:

  Whose grace was great, and bounty most rewardfull.

  Besides her peerlesse skill in making well

  And all the ornaments of wondrous wit,

  190

  Such as all womankynd did far excell:

  Such as the world admyr’d and praised it:

  So what with hope of good, and hate of ill,

  He me perswaded forth with him to fare:

  Nought tooke I with me, but mine oaten quill:

  195

  Small needments else need shepheard to prepare.

  So to the sea we came; the sea? that is

  A world of waters heaped vp on hie,

  Rolling like mountaines in wide wildernesse,

  Horrible, hideous, roaring with hoarse crie.

  200

  And is the sea (quoth Coridon) so fearfull?

  Fearful much more (quoth he) then hart can fear:

  Thousand wyld beasts with deep mouthes gaping direfull

  Therin stil wait poore passengers to teare.

  Who life doth loath, and longs death to behold,

  205

  Before he die, alreadie dead with feare,

  And yet would liue with heart halfe stonie cold,

  Let him to sea, and he shall see it there.

  And yet as ghastly dreadfull, as it seemes,

  Bold men presuming life for gaine to sell,

  210

  Dare tempt that gulf, and in those wandring stremes

  Seek waies vnknowne, waies leading down to hell.

  For as we stood there waiting on the strond,

  Behold an huge great vessell to vs came,

  Dauncing vpon the waters back to lond,

  215

  As if it scornd the daunger of the same;

  Yet was it but a wooden frame and fraile,

  Glewed togither with some subtile matter,

  Yet had it armes and wings, and head and taile,

  And life to moue it selfe vpon the water.

  220

  Strange thing, how bold and swift the monster was,

  That neither car’d for wynd, nor haile, nor raine,

  Nor swelling waues, but thorough them did passe

  So proudly, that she made them roare againe.

  The same aboord vs gently did receaue,

  225

  And without harme vs farre away did beare,

  So farre that land our mother vs did leaue,

  And nought but sea and heauen to vs appeare.

  Then hartlesse quite and full of inward feare,

  That shepheard I besought to me to tell,

  230

  Vnder what skie, or in what world we were,

  In which I saw no liuing people dwell.

  Who me recomforting all that he might,

  Told me that that same was the Regiment

  Of a great shepheardesse, that Cynthia hight,

  235

  His liege his Ladie, and his lifes Regent.

  If then (quoth I) a shepheardesse she bee,

  Where be the flockes and heards, which she doth keep?

  And where may I the hills and pastures see,

  On which she vseth for to feed her sheepe?

  240

  These be the hills (quoth he) the surges hie,

  On which faire Cynthia her heards doth feed:

  Her heards be thousand fishes with their frie,

  Which in the bosome of the billowes breed.

  Of them the shepheard which hath charge in chief,

  245

  Is Triton blowing loud his wreathed horne:

  At sound whereof, they all for their relief

  Wend too and fro at euening and at morne.

  And Proteus eke with him does driue his heard

  Of stinking Seales and Porcpisces together,

  250

  With hoary head and deawy dropping beard,

  Compelling them which way he list, and whether.

  And I among the rest of many least,

  Haue in the Ocean charge to me assignd:

  Where I will liue or die at her beheast,

  255

  And serue and honour her with faithfull mind.

  Besides an hundred Nymphs all heauenly borne,

  And of immortall race, doo still attend

  To wash faire Cynthiaes sheep, when they be shorne,

  And fold them vp, when they haue made an end.

  260

  Those be the shepheards which my Cynthia serue,

  At sea, beside a thousand moe at land:

  For land and sea my Cynthia doth deserue

  To haue in her commandement at hand.

  Thereat I wondred much, till wondring more

  265

  And more, at length we land far off descryde:

  Which sight much gladed me; for much afore

  I feard, least land we neuer sh
ould haue eyde:

  Thereto our ship her course directly bent,

  As if the way she perfectly had knowne.

  270

  We Lunday passe; by that same name is ment

  An Island, which the first to west was showne.

  From thence another world of land we kend,

  Floting amid the sea in ieopardie,

  And round about with mightie white rocks hemd,

  275

  Against the seas encroching crueltie.

  Those same the shepheard told me, were the fields

  In which dame Cynthia her landheards fed,

  Faire goodly fields, then which Armulla yields

  None fairer, nor more fruitfull to be red.

  280

  The first to which we nigh approched, was

  An high headland thrust far into the sea,

  Like to an home, whereof the name it has,

  Yet seemed to be a goodly pleasant lea:

  There did a loftie mount at first vs greet,

  285

  Which did a stately heape of stones vpreare,

  That seemd amid the surges for to fleet,

  Much greater then that frame, which vs did beare:

  There did our ship her fruitfull wombe vnlade,

  And put vs all ashore on Cynthias land.

  290

  What land is that thou meanst (then Cuddy sayd)

  And is there other, then whereon we stand?

  Ah Cuddy (then quoth Colin) thous a fon,

  That hast not seene least part of natures worke:

  Much more there is vnkend, then thou doest kon,

  295

  And much more that does from mens knowledge lurke.

  For that same land much larger is then this,

  And other men and beasts and birds doth feed:

  There fruitfull corne, faire trees, fresh herbage is

  And all things else that liuing creatures need.

  300

  Besides most goodly riuers there appeare,

  No whit inferiour to thy Funchins praise,

  Or vnto Allo or to Mulla cleare:

  Nought hast thou foolish boy seene in thy daies.

  But if that land be there (quoth he) as here,

  305

  And is theyr heauen likewise there all one?

  And if like heauen, be heauenly graces there,

  Like as in this same world where we do wone?

  Both heauen and heauenly graces do much more

  (Quoth he) abound in that same land, then this.

  310

  For there all happie peace and plenteous store

  Conspire in one to make contented blisse:

  No wayling there nor wretchednesse is heard,

  No bloodie issues nor no leprosies,

  No griesly famine, nor no raging sweard,

  315

  No nightly bodrags, nor no hue and cries;

  The shepheards there abroad may safely lie,

  On hills and downes, withouten dread or daunger:

  No rauenous wolues the good mans hope destroy,

  Nor outlawes fell affray the forest raunger.

  320

  There learned arts do florish in great honor,

  And Poets wits are had in peerlesse price:

  Religion hath lay powre to rest vpon her,

  Aduancing vertue and suppressing vice.

  For end, all good, all grace there freely growes,

  325

  Had people grace it gratefully to vse:

  For God his gifts there plenteously bestowes,

  But gracelesse men them greatly do abuse.

  But say on further, then said Corylas,

  The rest of thine aduentures, that betyded.

  330

  Foorth on our voyage we by land did passe,

  (Quoth he) as that same shepheard still vs guyded,

  Vntill that we to Cynthiaes presence came:

  Whose glorie greater then my simple thought,

  I found much greater then the former fame;

  335

  Such greatnes I cannot compare to ought:

  But if I her like ought on earth might read,

  I would her lyken to a crowne of lillies,

  Vpon a virgin brydes adorned head,

  With Roses dight and Goolds and Daffadillies;

  340

  Or like the circlet of a Turtle true,

  In which all colours of the rainbow bee;

  Or like faire Phebes garlond shining new,

  In which all pure perfection one may see.

  But vaine it is to thinke by paragone

  345

  Of earthly things, to iudge of things diuine:

  Her power, her mercy, and her wisedome, none

  Can deeme, but who the Godhead can define.

  Why then do I base shepheard bold and blind,

  Presume the things so sacred to prophane?

  350

  More fit it is t’adore with humble mind,

  The image of the heauens in shape humane.

  With that Alexis broke his tale asunder,

  Saying, By wondring at thy Cynthiaes praise,

  Colin, thy selfe thou mak’st vs more to wonder,

  355

  And her vpraising, doest thy selfe vpraise.

  But let vs heare what grace she shewed thee,

  And how that shepheard strange, thy cause aduanced?

  The shepheard of the Ocean (quoth he)

  Vnto that Goddesse grace me first enhanced,

  360

  And to mine oaten pipe enclin’d her eare,

  That she thenceforth therein gan take delight,

  And it desir’d at timely houres to heare,

  All were my notes but rude and roughly dight,

  For not by measure of her owne great mynd,

  365

  And wondrous worth she mott my simple song,

  But ioyd that country shepheard ought could fynd

  Worth harkening to, emongst the learned throng.

  Why? (said Alexis then) what needeth shee

  That is so great a shepheardesse her selfe,

  370

  And hath so many shepheards in her fee,

  To heare thee sing, a simple silly Elfe?

  Or be the shepheards which do serue her laesie,

  That they list not their mery pipes applie?

  Or be their pipes vntunable and craesie,

  375

  That they cannot her honour worthylie?

  Ah nay (said Colin) neither so, nor so:

  For better shepheards be not vnder skie,

  Nor better hable, when they list to blow

  Their pipes aloud, her name to glorifie.

  380

  There is good Harpalus now woxen aged,

  In faithfull seruice of faire Cynthia:

  And there is Corydon though meanly waged,

  Yet hablest wit of most I know this day.

  And there is sad Alcyon bent to mourne,

  385

  Though fit to frame an euerlasting dittie,

  Whose gentle spright for Daphnes death doth tourn

  Sweet layes of loue to endlesse plaints of pittie.