Minor Poems of Michael Drayton Part 19

Yet my poore Rusticke _Muse_, Nothing can moue her, Nor the means I can vse, Though her true Louer: Many a long Winters night, Haue I wak'd for her, 320 Yet this my piteous plight, Nothing can stirre her.

All thy Sands siluer _Trent_ Downe to the _Humber_, The sighes I haue spent Neuer can number.

Cho. _On thy Banke In a Ranke, Let thy Swans sing her And with their Musicke 330 Along let them bring her._

Taken with this suddaine Song, Least for mirth when he doth look His sad heart more deeply stong, Then the former care he tooke.

At their laughter and amaz'd, For a while he sat aghast But a little hauing gaz'd, Thus he them bespake at last.

Is this time for mirth (quoth he) 340 To a man with griefe opprest, Sinfull wretches as you be, May the sorrowes in my breast, Light vpon you one by one, And as now you mocke my woe, When your mirth is turn'd to moane; May your like then serue you so.

When one Swaine among the rest Thus him merrily bespake, Get thee vp thou arrant beast 350 Fits this season loue to make?

Take thy Sheephooke in thy hand, Clap thy Curre and set him on, For our fields 'tis time to stand, Or they quickly will be gon.

Rougish Swinheards that repine At our Flocks, like beastly Clownes, Sweare that they will bring their Swine, And will wroote vp all our Downes: They their Holly whips haue brac'd, 360 And tough Hazell goades haue gott; Soundly they your sides will baste, If their courage faile them not.

Of their purpose if they speed, Then your Bagpypes you may burne, It is neither Droane nor Reed Shepheard, that will serue your turne: Angry OLCON sets them on, And against vs part doth take Euer since he was out-gone, 370 Offring Rymes with us to make.

Yet if so our Sheepe-hookes hold, Dearely shall our Downes be bought, For it neuer shall be told, We our Sheep-walkes sold for naught.

And we here haue got vs Dogges, Best of all the Westerne breed, Which though Whelps shall lug their Hogges, Till they make their eares to bleed: Therefore Shepheard come away. 380 When as DORILVS arose, Whistles Cut-tayle from his play, And along with them he goes.

FINIS.

THE MVSES ELIZIVM

The Description of Elizium

A Paradice on earth is found, Though farre from vulgar sight, Which with those pleasures doth abound That it _Elizium_ hight.

Where, in Delights that neuer fade, The Muses lulled be, And sit at pleasure in the shade Of many a stately tree,

Which no rough Tempest makes to reele Nor their straight bodies bowes, 10 Their lofty tops doe neuer feele The weight of winters snowes;

In Groues that euermore are greene, No falling leafe is there, But _Philomel_ (of birds the Queene) In Musicke spends the yeare.

The _Merle_ vpon her mertle Perch, There to the _Mavis_ sings, Who from the top of some curld Berch Those notes redoubled rings; 20

There Daysyes damaske euery place Nor once their beauties lose, That when proud _Phbus_ hides his face Themselues they scorne to close.

The Pansy and the Violet here, As seeming to descend, Both from one Root, a very payre, For sweetnesse yet contend,

And pointing to a Pinke to tell Which beares it, it is loath, 30 To iudge it; but replyes for smell That it excels them both.

Wherewith displeasde they hang their heads So angry soone they grow And from their odoriferous beds Their sweets at it they throw.

The winter here a Summer is, No waste is made by time, Nor doth the Autumne euer misse The blossomes of the Prime. 40

The flower that Iuly forth doth bring In Aprill here is seene, The Primrose that puts on the Spring In Iuly decks each Greene.

The sweets for soueraignty contend And so abundant be, That to the very Earth they lend And Barke of euery Tree:

Rills rising out of euery Banck, In wild Meanders strayne, 50 And playing many a wanton pranck Vpon the speckled plaine,

In Gambols and lascivious Gyres Their time they still bestow Nor to their Fountaines none retyres, Nor on their course will goe.

Those Brooks with Lillies brauely deckt, So proud and wanton made, That they their courses quite neglect: And seeme as though they stayde, 60

Faire _Flora_ in her state to viewe Which through those Lillies looks, Or as those Lillies leand to shew Their beauties to the brooks.

That _Phbus_in his lofty race, Oft layes aside his beames And comes to coole his glowing face In these delicious streames;

Oft spreading Vines clime vp the Cleeues, Whose ripned cl.u.s.ters there, 70 Their liquid purple drop, which driues A Vintage through the yeere.

Those Cleeues whose craggy sides are clad With Trees of sundry sutes, Which make continuall summer glad, Euen bending with their fruits,

Some ripening, ready some to fall, Some blossom'd, some to bloome, Like gorgeous hangings on the wall Of some rich princely Roome: 80

_Pomegranates_, _Lymons_, _Cytrons_, so Their laded branches bow, Their leaues in number that outgoe Nor roomth will them alow.

There in perpetuall Summers shade, _Apolloes_ Prophets sit, Among the flowres that neuer fade, But flowrish like their wit;

To whom the Nimphes vpon their Lyres, Tune many a curious lay, 90 And with their most melodious Quires Make short the longest day.

The _thrice three Virgins_ heavenly Cleere, Their trembling Timbrels sound, Whilst the three comely Graces there Dance many a dainty Round,

Decay nor Age there nothing knowes, There is continuall Youth, As Time on plant or creatures growes, So still their strength renewth. 100

The Poets Paradice this is, To which but few can come; The Muses onely bower of blisse Their Deare _Elizium_.

Here happy soules, (their blessed bowers, Free from the rude resort Of beastly people) spend the houres, In harmelesse mirth and sport,

Then on to the _Elizian_ plaines _Apollo_ doth invite you 110 Where he prouides with pastorall straines, In Nimphals to delight you.

The first Nimphall

RODOPE and DORIDA.

_This Nimphall of delights doth treat, Choice beauties, and proportions neat, Of curious shapes, and dainty features Describd in two most perfect creatures._

When _Phbus_ with a face of mirth, Had flong abroad his beames, To blanch the bosome of the earth, And glaze the gliding streames.

Within a goodly Mertle groue, Vpon that hallowed day The Nimphes to the bright Queene of loue Their vowes were vsde to pay.

Faire _Rodope_ and _Dorida_ Met in those sacred shades, 10 Then whom the Sunne in all his way, Nere saw two daintier Maids.

And through the thickets thrild his fires, Supposing to haue seene The soueraigne _G.o.ddesse of desires_, Or _Ioves Emperious Queene_: Both of so wondrous beauties were, In shape both so excell, That to be paraleld elsewhere, No iudging eye could tell. 20 And their affections so surpa.s.se, As well it might be deemd, That th' one of them the other was, And but themselues they seem'd.

And whilst the Nimphes that neare this place, Disposed were to play At Barly-breake and Prison-base, Doe pa.s.se the time away: This peerlesse payre together set, The other at their sport, 30 None neare their free discourse to let, Each other thus they court,

_Dorida._ My sweet, my soueraigne _Rodope_, My deare delight, my loue, That Locke of hayre thou sentst to me, I to this Bracelet woue; Which brighter euery day doth grow The longer it is worne, As its delicious fellowes doe, Thy Temples that adorne. 40

_Rodope._ Nay had I thine my _Dorida_, I would them so bestow, As that the winde vpon my way, Might backward make them flow, So should it in its greatst excesse Turne to becalmed ayre, And quite forget all boistrousnesse To play with euery hayre.

_Dorida._ To me like thine had nature giuen, A Brow, so Archt, so cleere, 50 A Front, wherein so much of heauen Doth to each eye appeare, The world should see, I would strike dead The Milky Way that's now, And say that Nectar _Hebe_ shed Fell all vpon my Brow.