Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, EUTERPE TO HER DEAREST DARLING W.B., by PHILIP PAPILLON


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

EUTERPE TO HER DEAREST DARLING W.B., by                    
First Line: Thy lines, thy worth, thy wit to praise
Last Line: As thou hast done, to do again.
Subject(s): Browne, William (1591-1645)


Euterpe to her dearest Darling W.B.

THY lines, thy worth, thy wit to praise,
Were mine own honour to upraise,
And those same gifts commend in thee
Which thou received hast of me;
Yet may I boast that by mine aid
All ears to thee are captive made,
And thy amazed countrymen
Admire, extol thy golden pen.
Hearing such madrigals as these
Astonish'd is Philisides,
And vanquish'd by thy sweeter lays
Forswears his pipe; yields thee the bays:
Resigns his pipe; yields thee the bays:
And Colin Clout his oaten reed,
Which did to us such pleasure breed,
Resigns to thee; griev'd because his
Mulla by Tavy vanquish'd is
Marina feigns though in her need
The storm did help; yet she indeed
Was ravish'd, but ('tis her excuse)
'Twas only with thy sweet-tongu'd Muse;
That though the Robin Redbreast fed
Her body, yet sh' had suffered
Death, hadst not thou with lines refin'd,
As with ambrosia, fed her mind.
Doridon weeps, although for who
He trows not, if 't be not for you;
Since thee to write he could not move
One canto more on his true love.
See how each swain that should this day
Before Dame Thetis sing his lay,
Sighing gives back, for he doth fear
Willy, their Captain, won't be there.
All say thou art the elm (they know)
Whereby the Muses' vine doth grow,
And that if Cælia merit death,
All they must with her lose their breath,
That fairer boughs have pull'd from thee
Than e'er grew on Pan's golden tree,
Lastly, thy Aletheia says,
That future times shall sing thy praise,
And th' after ages strive in vain,
As thou hast done, to do again.





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