The Shorter Poems

by Edmund Spenser

  10

  is but a bayt such wretches to beguile:

  as being long in her loues tempest tost,

  she meanes at last to make her piteous spoyle.

  O fayrest fayre let neuer it be named,

  that so fayre beauty was so fowly shamed.

  SONNET. XLII.

  The loue which me so cruelly tormenteth,

  So pleasing is in my extreamest paine:

  that all the more my sorrow it augmenteth,

  the more I loue and doe embrace my bane.

  5

  Ne doe I wish (for wishing were but vaine)

  to be acquit fro my continuall smart:

  but ioy her thrall for euer to remayne,

  and yield for pledge my poore captyued hart;

  The which that it from her may neuer start,

  10

  let her, yf please her, bynd with adamant chayne:

  and from all wandring loues which mote peruart,

  his safe assurance strongly it restrayne.

  Onely let her abstaine from cruelty,

  and doe me not before my time to dy.

  SONNET. XLIII.

  Shall I then silent be or shall I speake?

  And if I speake, her wrath renew I shall:

  and if I silent be, my hart will breake,

  or choked be with ouerflowing gall.

  5

  What tyranny is this both my hart to thrall,

  and eke my toung with proud restraint to tie?

  that nether I may speake nor thinke at all,

  but like a stupid stock in silence die.

  Yet I my hart with silence secretly

  10

  will teach to speak, and my iust cause to plead:

  and eke mine eies with meeke humility,

  loue learned letters to her eyes to read.

  Which her deep wit, that true harts thought can spel,

  will soone conceiue, and learne to construe well.

  SONNET. XLIIII.

  When those renoumed noble Peres of Greece,

  thrugh stubborn pride amongst themselues did iar

  forgetfull of the famous golden fleece,

  then Orpheus with his harp theyr strife did bar.

  5

  But this continuall cruell ciuill warre,

  the which my selfe against my selfe doe make:

  whilest my weak powres of passions warreid arre,

  no skill can stint nor reason can aslake.

  But when in hand my tunelesse harp I take,

  10

  then doe I more augment my foes despight:

  and griefe renew, and passions doe awake,

  to battaile fresh against my selfe to fight.

  Mongst whome the more I seeke to settle peace,

  the more I fynd their malice to increace.

  SONNET. XLV.

  Leaue lady in your glasse of christall clene,

  Your goodly selfe for euermore to vew:

  and in my selfe, my inward selfe I meane,

  most liuely lyke behold your semblant trew.

  5

  Within my hart, though hardly it can shew

  thing so diuine to vew of earthly eye:

  the fayre Idea of your celestiall hew,

  and euery part remaines immortally:

  And were it not that through your cruelty,

  10

  with sorrow dimmed and deformd it were:

  the goodly ymage of your visnomy,

  clearer then christall would therein appere.

  But if your selfe in me ye playne will see,

  remoue the cause by which your fayre beames darkned be.

  SONNET. XLVI.

  When my abodes prefixed time is spent,

  My cruell fayre streight bids me wend my way:

  but then from heauen most hideous stormes are sent

  as willing me against her will to stay.

  5

  Whom then shall I or heauen or her obay?

  the heauens know best what is the best for me:

  but as she will, whose will my life doth sway,

  my lower heauen, so it perforce must bee.

  But ye high heuens, that all this sorowe see,

  10

  sith all your tempests cannot hold me backe:

  aswage your stormes, or else both you and she,

  will both together me too sorely wrack.

  Enough it is for one man to sustaine

  the stormes, which she alone on me doth raine.

  SONNET. XLVII.

  Trust not the treason of those smyling lookes,

  vntill ye haue theyr guylefull traynes well tryde:

  for they are lyke but vnto golden hookes,

  that from the foolish fish theyr bayts doe hyde:

  5

  So she with flattring smyles weake harts doth guyde

  vnto her loue and tempte to theyr decay,

  whome being caught she kills with cruell pryde,

  and feeds at pleasure on the wretched pray:

  Yet euen whylst her bloody hands them slay

  10

  her eyes looke louely and vpon them smyle:

  that they take pleasure in her cruell play,

  and dying doe them selues of payne beguyle.

  O mighty charm which makes men loue theyr bane,

  and thinck they dy with pleasure, liue with payne.

  SONNET. XLVIII.

  Innocent paper whom too cruell hand

  Did make the matter to auenge her yre:

  and ere she could thy cause wel vnderstand,

  did sacrifize vnto the greedy fyre.

  5

  Well worthy thou to haue found better hyre,

  then so bad end for hereticks ordayned:

  yet heresy nor treason didst conspire,

  but plead thy maisters cause vniustly payned.

  Whom she all carelesse of his griefe constrayned

  10

  to vtter forth th’anguish of his hart:

  and would not heare, when he to her complayned,

  the piteous passion of his dying smart.

  Yet liue for euer, though against her will,

  and speake her good, though she requite it ill.

  SONNET. XLIX.

  Fayre cruell, why are ye so fierce and cruell?

  Is it because your eyes haue powre to kill?

  then know, that mercy is the mighties iewell,

  and greater glory thinke to saue, then spill.

  5

  But if it be your pleasure and proud will,

  to shew the powre of your imperious eyes:

  then not on him that neuer thought you ill,

  but bend your force against your enemyes.

  Let them feele th’utmost of your crueltyes,

  10

  and kill with looks, as Cockatrices doo:

  but him that at your footstoole humbled lies,

  with mercifull regard, giue mercy too.

  Such mercy shal you make admyred to be,

  so shall you liue by giuing life to me.

  SONNET. L.

  Long languishing in double malady,

  of my harts wound and of my bodies griefe:

  there came to me a leach that would apply

  fit medicines for my bodies best reliefe.

  5

  Vayne man (quod I) that hast but little priefe,

  in deep discouery of the mynds disease,

  is not the hart of all the body chiefe?

  and rules the members as it selfe doth please?

  Then with some cordialls seeke first to appease

  10

  the inward languour of my wounded hart,

  and then my body shall haue shortly ease:

  but such sweet cordialls passe Physitions art.

  Then my lyfes Leach doe you your skill reueale,

  and with one salue both hart and body heale.

  SONNET. LI.

  Doe I not see that fayrest ymages

  Of hardest Marble
are of purpose made?

  for that they should endure through many ages,

  ne let theyr famous moniments to fade.

  5

  Why then doe I, vntrainde in louers trade,

  her hardnes blame which I should more commend?

  sith neuer ought was excellent assayde,

  which was not hard t’atchiue and bring to end.

  Ne ought so hard, but he that would attend,

  10

  mote soften it and to his will allure:

  so doe I hope her stubborne hart to bend,

  and that it then more stedfast will endure.

  Onely my paines wil be the more to get her,

  but hauing her, my ioy wil be the greater.

  SONNET. LII.

  So oft as homeward I from her depart,

  I goe lyke one that hauing lost the field,

  is prisoner led away with heauy hart,

  despoyld of warlike armes and knowen shield.

  5

  So doe I now my selfe a prisoner yeeld,

  to sorrow and to solitary paine:

  from presence of my dearest deare exylde,

  longwhile alone in languor to remaine.

  There let no thought of ioy or pleasure vaine

  10

  dare to approch, that may my solace breed:

  but sudden dumps and drery sad disdayne

  of all worlds gladnesse more my torment feed.

  So I her absens will my penaunce make,

  that of her presens I my meed may take.

  SONNET. LIII.

  The Panther knowing that his spotted hyde

  Doth please all beasts but that his looks them fray:

  within a bush his dreadfull head doth hide,

  to let them gaze whylest he on them may pray.

  5

  Right so my cruell fayre with me doth play,

  for with the goodly semblant of her hew,

  she doth allure me to mine owne decay,

  and then no mercy will vnto me shew.

  Great shame it is, thing so diuine in view,

  10

  made for to be the worlds most ornament:

  to make the bayte her gazers to embrew,

  good shames to be to ill an instrument.

  But mercy doth with beautie best agree,

  as in theyr maker ye them best may see.

  SONNET. LIIII.

  Of this worlds Theatre in which we stay,

  My loue lyke the Spectator ydly sits

  beholding me that all the pageants play,

  disguysing diuersly my troubled wits.

  5

  Sometimes I ioy when glad occasion fits,

  and mask in myrth lyke to a Comedy:

  soone after when my ioy to sorrow flits,

  I waile and make my woes a Tragedy.

  Yet she beholding me with constant eye,

  10

  delights not in my merth nor rues my smart:

  but when I laugh she mocks, and when I cry

  she laughes, and hardens euermore her hart.

  What then can moue her? if nor merth nor mone,

  she is no woman, but a sencelesse stone.

  SONNET. LV.

  So oft as I her beauty doe behold,

  And therewith doe her cruelty compare:

  I maruaile of what substance was the mould

  the which her made attonce so cruell faire.

  5

  Not earth; for her high thoghts more heauenly are,

  not water; for her loue doth burne like fyre:

  not ayre; for she is not so light or rare,

  not fyre; for she doth friese with faint desire.

  Then needs another Element inquire

  10

  whereof she mote be made; that is the skye.

  for to the heauen her haughty lookes aspire:

  and eke her mind is pure immortall hye.

  Then sith to heauen ye lykened are the best,

  be lyke in mercy as in all the rest.

  SONNET. LVI.

  Fayre ye be sure, but cruell and vnkind,

  As is a Tygre that with greedinesse

  hunts after bloud, when he by chance doth find

  a feeble beast, doth felly him oppresse.

  5

  Fayre be ye sure but proud and pittilesse,

  as is a storme, that all things doth prostrate:

  finding a tree alone all comfortlesse,

  beats on it strongly it to ruinate.

  Fayre be ye sure, but hard and obstinate,

  10

  as is a rocke amidst the raging floods:

  gaynst which a ship of succour desolate,

  doth suffer wreck both of her selfe and goods.

  That ship, that tree, and that same beast am I,

  whom ye doe wreck, doe ruine, and destroy.

  SONNET. LVII.

  Sweet warriour when shall I haue peace with you?

  High time it is, this warre now ended were:

  which I no lenger can endure to sue,

  ne your incessant battry more to beare:

  5

  So weake my powres, so sore my wounds appeare,

  that wonder is how I should liue a iot,

  seeing my hart through launched euery where

  with thousand arrowes, which your eies have shot:

  Yet shoot ye sharpely still, and spare me not,

  10

  but glory thinke to make these cruel stoures.

  ye cruell one, what glory can be got,

  in slaying him that would liue gladly yours?

  Make peace therefore, and graunt me timely grace,

  that al my wounds wil heale in little space.

  SONNET. LVIII.

  By her that is most assured to her selfe.

  Weake is th’assurance that weake flesh reposeth

  In her owne powre and scorneth others ayde:

  that soonest fals when as she most supposeth

  her selfe assurd, and is of nought affrayd.

  5

  All flesh is frayle, and all her strength vnstayd,

  like a vaine bubble blowen vp with ayre:

  deuouring tyme and changeful chance haue prayd

  her glories pride that none may it repayre.

  Ne none so rich or wise, so strong or fayre,

  10

  but fayleth trusting on his owne assurance:

  and he that standeth on the hyghest stayre

  fals lowest: for on earth nought hath enduraunce.

  Why then doe ye proud fayre, misdeeme so farre,

  that to your selfe ye most assured arre?

  SONNET. LIX.

  Thrise happie she, that is so well assured

  Vnto her selfe and setled so in hart:

  that nether will for better be allured,

  ne feard with worse to any chaunce to start,

  5

  But like a steddy ship doth strongly part

  the raging waues and keepes her course aright:

  ne ought for tempest doth from it depart,

  ne ought for fayrer weathers false delight.

  Such selfe assurance need not feare the spight

  10

  of grudging foes, ne fauour seek of friends: