HE that did sing the motions of the stars, Pale-colour'd Phœbe's borrowing of her light, Aspects of planets oft oppos'd in jars, Of Hesper, henchman to the day and night; Sings now of love, as taught by proof to sing, Women are false, and love a bitter thing. I lov'd Eurydice, the brightest lass, More fond to like so fair a nymph as she; In Thessaly so bright none ever was, But fair and constant hardly may agree: False-hearted wife to him that lov'd thee well, To leave thy love, and choose the prince of hell; Theseus did help, and I in haste did hie To Pluto, for the lass I lovèd so: The god made grant, and who so glad as I? I tun'd my harp, and she and I gan go; Glad that my love was left to me alone, I lookèd back,—Eurydice was gone. She slipp'd aside, back to her latest love; Unkind, she wrong'd her first and truest fere: Thus women's loves delight, as trial proves By false Eurydice I lov'd so dear, To change and fleet, and every way to shrink, To take in love and lose it with a wink. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...CAVALIER TUNES: GIVE A ROUSE THEN FOR THE CLINIC by ROBERT BROWNING RHYME FOR A CHILD VIEWING A NAKED VENUS IN A PAINTING by ROBERT BROWNING THE BLISSFUL DAY by ROBERT BURNS AN ANATOMY OF THE WORLD: THE FIRST ANNIVERSARY by JOHN DONNE ASTROPHEL AND STELLA: 49 by PHILIP SIDNEY SONNET ON CATHERINE WORDSWORTH by WILLIAM WORDSWORTH AN IRISH AIRMAN FORESEES HIS DEATH by WILLIAM BUTLER YEATS |