The Shorter Poems

by Edmund Spenser

  270

  But for this time it ill ordained was,

  To chose the longest day in all the yeare,

  And shortest night, when longest fitter weare:

  Yet neuer day so long, but late would passe.

  Ring ye the bels, to make it weare away,

  275

  And bonefiers make all day,

  And daunce about them, and about them sing:

  that all the woods may answer, and your eccho ring.

  [16]

  Ah when will this long weary day haue end,

  And lende me leaue to come vnto my loue?

  280

  How slowly do the houres theyr numbers spend?

  How slowly does sad Time his feathers moue?

  Hast thee O fayrest Planet to thy home

  Within the Westerne fome:

  Thy tyred steedes long since haue need of rest.

  285

  Long though it be, at last I see it gloome,

  And the bright euening star with golden creast

  Appeare out of the East.

  Fayre childe of beauty, glorious lampe of loue

  That all the host of heauen in rankes doost lead,

  290

  And guydest louers through the nights dread,

  How chearefully thou lookest from aboue,

  And seemst to laugh atweene thy twinkling light

  As ioying in the sight

  Of these glad many which for ioy doe sing,

  295

  That all the woods them answer and their echo ring.

  [17]

  Now ceasse ye damsels your delights forepast;

  Enough is it, that all the day was youres:

  Now day is doen, and night is nighing fast:

  Now bring the Bryde into the brydall boures.

  300

  Now night is come, now soone her disaray,

  And in her bed her lay;

  Lay her in lillies and in violets,

  And silken courteins ouer her display,

  And odourd sheetes, and Arras couerlets.

  305

  Behold how goodly my faire loue does ly

  In proud humility;

  Like vnto Maia, when as Ioue her tooke,

  In Tempe, lying on the flowry gras,

  Twixt sleepe and wake, after she weary was,

  310

  With bathing in the Acidalian brooke.

  Now it is night, ye damsels may be gon,

  And leaue my loue alone,

  And leaue likewise your former lay to sing:

  The woods no more shal answere, nor your echo ring.

  [18]

  315

  Now welcome night, thou night so long expected,

  That long daies labour doest at last defray,

  And all my cares, which cruell loue collected,

  Hast sumd in one, and cancelled for aye:

  Spread thy broad wing ouer my loue and me,

  320

  That no man may vs see,

  And in thy sable mantle vs enwrap,

  From feare of perrill and foule horror free.

  Let no false treason seeke vs to entrap,

  Nor any dread disquiet once annoy

  325

  The safety of our ioy:

  But let the night be calme and quietsome,

  Without tempestuous storms or sad afray:

  Lyke as when Ioue with fayre Alcmena lay,

  When he begot the great Tirynthian groome:

  330

  Or lyke as when he with thy selfe did lie,

  And begot Maiesty.

  And let the mayds and yongmen cease to sing:

  Ne let the woods them answer, nor theyr eccho ring.

  [19]

  Let no lamenting cryes, nor dolefull teares,

  335

  Be heard all night within nor yet without:

  Ne let false whispers breeding hidden feares,

  Breake gentle sleepe with misconceiued dout.

  Let no deluding dreames, nor dreadful sights

  Make sudden sad affrights;

  340

  Ne let housefyres, nor lightnings helpelesse harmes,

  Ne let the Pouke, nor other euill sprights,

  Ne let mischiuous witches with theyr charmes,

  Ne let hob Goblins, names whose sence we see not,

  Fray vs with things that be not.

  345

  Let not the shriech Oule, nor the Storke be heard:

  Nor the night Rauen that still deadly yels,

  Nor damned ghosts cald vp with mighty spels,

  Nor griesly vultures make vs once affeard:

  Ne let th’unpleasant Quyre of Frogs still croking

  350

  Make vs to wish theyr choking.

  Let none of these theyr drery accents sing;

  Ne let the woods them answer, nor theyr eccho ring.

  [20]

  But let stil Silence trew night watches keepe,

  That sacred peace may in assurance rayne,

  355

  And tymely sleep, when it is tyme to sleepe,

  May poure his limbs forth on your pleasant playne,

  The whiles an hundred little winged loues,

  Like diuers fethered doues,

  Shall fly and flutter round about your bed,

  360

  And in the secret darke, that none reproues,

  Their prety stealthes shal worke, and snares shal spread

  To filch away sweet snatches of delight,

  Conceald through couert night.

  Ye sonnes of Venus, play your sports at will,

  365

  For greedy pleasure, carelesse of your toyes,

  Thinks more vpon her paradise of ioyes,

  Then what ye do, albe it good or ill.

  All night therefore attend your merry play,

  For it will soone be day:

  370

  Now none doth hinder you, that say or sing,

  Ne will the woods now answer, nor your Eccho ring.

  [21]

  Who is the same, which at my window peepes?

  Or whose is that faire face, that shines so bright?

  Is it not Cinthia, she that neuer sleepes,

  375

  But walkes about high heauen al the night?

  O fayrest goddesse, do thou not enuy

  My loue with me to spy:

  For thou likewise didst loue, though now vnthought,

  And for a fleece of woll, which priuily,

  380

  The Latmian shephard once vnto thee brought,

  His pleasures with thee wrought.

  Therefore to vs be fauorable now;

  And sith of wemens labours thou hast charge,

  And generation goodly dost enlarge,

  385

  Encline thy will t’effect our wishfull vow,

  And the chast wombe informe with timely seed,

  That may our comfort breed:

  Till which we cease our hopefull hap to sing,

  Ne let the woods vs answere, nor our Eccho ring.

  [22]

  390

  And thou great Iuno, which with awful might

  The lawes of wedlock still dost patronize,

  And the religion of the faith first plight

  With sacred rites hast taught to solemnize:

  And eeke for comfort often called art

  395

  Of women in their smart,

  Eternally bind thou this louely band,

  And all thy blessings vnto vs impart.

  And thou glad Genius, in whose gentle hand,

  The bridale bowre and geniall bed remaine,

  400

  Without blemish or staine,

  And the sweet pleasures of theyr loues delight

  With secret ayde doest succour and supply,

  Till they bring forth the fruitfull progeny,

  Send vs the timely fruit of this same night.

  405

  And thou fayre Hebe, an
d thou Hymen free,

  Grant that it may so be.

  Til which we cease your further prayse to sing,

  Ne any woods shal answer, nor your Eccho ring.

  [23]

  And ye high heauens, the temple of the gods,

  410

  In which a thousand torches flaming bright

  Doe burne, that to vs wretched earthly clods

  In dreadful darknesse lend desired light;

  And all ye powers which in the same remayne,

  More then we men can fayne,

  415

  Poure out your blessing on vs plentiously,

  And happy influence vpon vs raine,

  That we may raise a large posterity,

  Which from the earth, which they may long possesse,

  With lasting happinesse,

  420

  Vp to your haughty pallaces may mount,

  And for the guerdon of theyr glorious merit

  May heauenly tabernacles there inherit,

  Of blessed Saints for to increase the count.

  So let vs rest, sweet loue, in hope of this,

  425

  And cease till then our tymely ioyes to sing,

  The woods no more vs answer, nor our eccho ring.

  [24]

  Song made in lieu of many ornaments,

  With which my loue should duly haue bene dect,

  Which cutting off through hasty accidents,

  430

  Ye would not stay your dew time to expect,

  But promist both to recompens,

  Be vnto her a goodly ornament,

  And for short time an endlesse moniment.

  FINIS

  TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE

  AND MOST VER

  tuous Ladies, the Ladie Margaret Countesse

  of Cumberland, and the Ladie Marie

  Countesse of Warwicke.

  Hauing in the greener times of my youth, composed these former

  two Hymnes in the praise of Loue and beautie, and finding that

  the same too much pleased those of like age and disposition, which

  being too vehemently caried with that kind of affection, do rather

  5

  sucke out poyfon to their strong passion, then hony to their honest

  delight, I was moued by the one of you two most excellent Ladies,

  to call in the same. But being vnable so to doe, by reason that

  many copies thereof were formerly scattered abroad, I resolued at

  least to amend, and by way of retractation to reforme them,

  10

  making in stead of those two Hymnes of earthly or naturall loue

  and beautie, two others of heauenly and celestiall. The which I

  doe dedicate ioyntly vnto you two honorable sisters, as to the most

  excellent and rare ornaments of all true loue and beautie, both in

  the one and the other kinde, humbly beseeching you to vouchsafe

  15

  the patronage of them, and to accept this my humble seruice, in

  lieu of the great graces and honourable fauours which ye dayly

  shew vnto me, vntill such time as I may by better meanes yeeld

  you some more notable testimonie of my thankfull mind and

  dutifull deuotion.

  20

  And euen so I pray for your happinesse.

  Greenwich this first of September.

  1596.

  Your Honors most bounden euer

  in all humble seruice.

  25

  Ed. Sp.

  AN HYMNE IN HONOVR OF LOVE.

  Loue, that long since hast to thy mighty powre,

  Perforce subdude my poore captiued hart,

  And raging now therein with restlesse stowre,

  Doest tyrannize in euerie weaker part;

  5

  Faine would I seeke to ease my bitter smart,

  By any seruice I might do to thee,

  Or ought that else might to thee pleasing bee.

  And now t’asswage the force of this new flame,

  And make thee more propitious in my need,

  10

  I meane to sing the praises of thy name,

  And thy victorious conquests to areed;

  By which thou madest many harts to bleed

  Of mighty Victors, with wyde wounds embrewed,

  And by thy cruell darts to thee subdewed.

  15

  Onely I feare my wits enfeebled late,

  Through the sharpe sorrowes, which thou hast me bred,

  Should faint, and words should faile me, to relate

  The wondrous triumphs of thy great godhed.

  But if thou wouldst vouchsafe to ouerspred

  20

  Me with the shadow of thy gentle wing,

  I should enabled be thy actes to sing.

  Come then, O come, thou mightie God of loue,

  Out of thy siluer bowres and secret blisse,

  Where thou doest sit in Venus lap aboue,

  25

  Bathing thy wings in her ambrosiall kisse,

  That sweeter farre then any Nectar is;

  Come softly, and my feeble breast inspire

  With gentle furie, kindled of thy fire.

  And ye sweet Muses, which haue often proued

  30

  The piercing points of his auengefull darts;

  And ye faire Nimphs, which oftentimes haue loued

  The cruell worker of your kindly smarts,

  Prepare your selues, and open wide your harts,

  For to receiue the triumph of your glorie,

  35

  That made you merie oft, when ye were sorie.

  And ye faire blossomes of youths wanton breed,

  Which in the conquests of your beautie bost,

  Wherewith your louers feeble eyes you feed,

  But sterue their harts, that needeth nourture most,

  40

  Prepare your selues, to march amongst his host,

  And all the way this sacred hymne do sing,

  Made in the honor of your Soueraigne king.

  Great god of might, that reignest in the mynd,

  And all the bodie to thy hest doest frame,

  45

  Victor of gods, subduer of mankynd,

  That doest the Lions and fell Tigers tame,

  Making their cruell rage thy scornefull game,

  And in their roring taking great delight;

  Who can expresse the glorie of thy might?

  50

  Or who aliue can perfectly declare,

  The wondrous cradle of thine infancie?

  When thy great mother Venus first thee bare,

  Begot of Plentie and of Penurie,

  Though elder then thine owne natiuitie;

  55

  And yet a chyld, renewing still thy yeares;

  And yet the eldest of the heauenly Peares.

  For ere this worlds still mouing mightie masse,

  Out of great Chaos vgly prison crept,

  In which his goodly face long hidden was

  60

  From heauens view, and in deepe darknesse kept,

  Loue, that had now long time securely slept