Six Centuries of English Poetry Part 39

25. =unreproved truth.= Sincerity.

26. =great Grandmother.= Mother Earth.

27. =lett be.= Leave off; make an end of.

28. =wage.= Pledge. Observe the relations.h.i.+p between this word and both _wager_ and _wages_.

29. =Me list.= I wish. Compare _methinks_, _meseems_. From A.-S. _lystan_, to choose.

"The wind bloweth where it listeth."--_John_ iii. 8.

=wote.= Understood. See note 21 above.

30. =Perdy.= An old oath used to give emphasis to an a.s.sertion. From Fr.

_par dieu_.

31. =wonne.= Habitation. From A.-S. _wunian_, to dwell.

32. =rayne.= Reign. The word is frequently used in the older poets for _realm_, or _region_.

33. =next to Death is Sleepe.=

"How wonderful is Death!

Death and his brother Sleep!"

--_Sh.e.l.ley_, _Queen Mab_, I.

34. =whilome.= At some time.

FOOTNOTES:

[233:1] Wildness without art.

PROTHALAMION; OR, A SPOUSALL VERSE.

IN HONOUR OF THE DOUBLE MARRIAGE OF THE TWO HONORABLE AND VERTUOUS LADIES, THE LADY ELIZABETH AND THE LADY KATHERINE SOMERSET, DAUGHTERS TO THE RIGHT HONORABLE THE EARLE OF WORCESTER, AND ESPOUSED TO THE TWO WORTHIE GENTLEMEN, M. HENRY GILFORD AND M. WILLIAM PETER, ESQUYERS.

Calme was the day, and through the trembling ayre Sweete-breathing Zephyrus did softly play A gentle spirit, that lightly did delay Hot t.i.tans{1} beames, which then did glyster fayre; When I, (whom sullein care, Through discontent of my long fruitlesse stay In princes court,{2} and expectation vayne Of idle hopes, which still doe fly away Like empty shadows, did afflict my brayne,) Walkt forth to ease my payne Along the sh.o.a.re of silver streaming Themmes{3}; Whose rutty{4} bank, the which his river hemmes, Was paynted all with variable flowers, And all the meades adorned with dainty gemmes Fit to decke maydens bowres, And crown their paramours Against{5} the brydale-day, which is not long; Sweet Themmes! runne softly, till I end my song.

There, in a meadow, by the rivers side, A flocke of Nymphes I chaunced to espy, All lovely daughters of the Flood{6} thereby, With goodly greenish locks, all loose untyde,{7} As each had been a bryde; And each one had a little wicker basket, Made of fine twigs, entrayled{8} curiously, In which they gathered flowers to fill their flasket,{9} And with fine fingers cropt{10} full feateously The tender stalkes on hye.{11} Of every sort which in that meadow grew, They gathered some; the violet, pallid{12} blew, The little dazie that at evening closes, The virgin lillie, and the primrose trew,{13} With store{14} of vermeil roses, To deck their bridegroomes posies{15} Against the brydale-day, which was not long: Sweet Themmes! runne softly till I end my song.

With that{16} I saw two Swannes of goodly hewe Come softly swimming downe along the lee{17}; Two fairer birds I yet did never see; The snow which doth the top of Pindus strew, Did never whiter shew, Nor Jove himselfe, when he a swan would be For love of Leda, whiter did appeare.

Yet Leda was (they say) as white as he, Yet not so white as these, nor nothing near{18}: So purely white they were, That even the gentle stream, the which them bare, Seem'd foule to them, and bad his billowes spare To wet their silken feathers, least they might Soyle their fayre plumes with water not so fayre, And marre their beauties bright, That shone as heavens light, Against their brydale day which was not long: Sweet Themmes! runne softly, till I end my song.

Eftsoones{19} the Nymphes, which now had flowers their fill, Ran all in haste to see that silver brood, As they came floating on the cristal flood; Whom when they sawe, they stood amazed, still, Their wondring eyes to fill; Them seem'd they never saw a sight so fayre, Of fowles, so lovely, that they sure did deeme Them heavenly borne, or to be that same payre Which through the skie draw Venus silver teeme; For sure they did not seeme To be begot of any earthly seede, But rather angels, or of angels breede; Yet were they bred of Somers-heat,{20} they say, In sweetest season, when each flower and weede The earth did fresh array; So fresh they seem'd as day, Even as their brydale day, which was not long: Sweet Themmes! runne softly till I end my song.

Then forth they all out of their baskets drew Great store of flowers, the honour of the field, That to the sense did fragrant odours yeild, All which upon those goodly birds they threw, And all the waves did strew, That like old Peneus{21} waters they did seeme, When downe along by pleasant Tempes sh.o.r.e, Scattred with flowres, through Thessaly they streeme, That they appeare, through lillies plenteous store, Like a brydes chambre flore.

Two of those Nymphes, meane while, two garlands bound Of freshest flowres which in that mead they found, The which presenting all in trim array, Their snowie foreheads therewithall they crownd Whilst one did sing this lay, Prepar'd against that day, Against their brydale day, which was not long: Sweet Themmes! runne softly, till I end my song.

"Ye gentle Birdes! the worlds faire ornament "And heavens glorie, whom this happie hower "Doth leade unto your lovers blissfull bower, "Ioy may you have, and gentle hearts content "Of your loves couplement;{22} "And let faire Venus, that is Queene of Love, "With her heart-quelling Sonne{23} upon you smile, "Whose smile, they say, hath vertue to remove "All loves dislike, and friends.h.i.+ps faultie guile "Forever to a.s.soile.{24} "Let endlesse peace your steadfast hearts accord, "And blessed plentie wait upon your bord{25}; "And let your bed with pleasures chast abound, "That fruitfull issue may to you afford, "Which may your foes confound "And make your ioyes redound "Upon your brydale day, which is not long."

Sweet Themmes! runne softly, till I end my song.

So ended she; and all the rest around To her redoubled{26} that her undersong, Which said, their brydale day should not be long: And gentle Eccho from the neighbour{27} ground Their accents did resound.

So forth those joyous Birdes did pa.s.se along Adowne the lee, that to them murmurde low, As he would speake, but that he lackt a tong, Yet did by signes his glad affection show, Making his streame run slow.

And all the foule which in his flood did dwell Gan flock about these twaine, that did excell The rest, so far as Cynthia doth shend{28} The lesser stars. So they, enranged well, Did on those two attend, And their best service lend Against their wedding day, which was not long: Sweet Themmes! runne softly, till I end my song.

At length they all to mery London came, To mery London, my most kyndly nurse,{29} That to me gave this lifes first native sourse, Though from another place I take my name, An house of auncient fame; There when they came, whereas those bricky towres The which on Themmes brode aged backe doe ryde, Where now the studious lawyers have their bowers,{30} There whylome wont the Templer Knights to byde, Till they decayd through pride; Next whereunto there standes a stately place,{31} Where oft I gayned giftes and goodly grace Of that great lord, which therein wont to dwell, Whose want too well now feels my freendles case;{32} But ah! here fits not well{33} Old woes, but ioyes, to tell Against the brydale daye, which is not long: Sweet Themmes! runne softly, till I end my song.

Yet therein now doth lodge a n.o.bler peer,{34} Great Englands glory, and the worlds wide wonder, Whose dreadfull name late through all Spaine{35} did thunder, And Hercules two Pillors{36} standing neere Did make to quake and feare: Faire branch of honor, flower of chevalrie!

That fillest England with thy triumphs fame, Ioy have thou of thy n.o.ble victorie, And endlesse happinesse of thine owne name That promiseth the same; That through thy prowesse, and victorious armes, Thy country may be freed from forraine harmes, And great Elisaes glorious name may ring Through all the world, fill'd with thy wide alarmes, Which some brave muse may sing To ages following, Upon the brydale day which is not long: Sweet Themmes! runne softly, till I end my song.

From those high towers this n.o.ble lord issuing, Like radiant Hesper,{37} when his golden hare In th' ocean billows he hath bathed fayre, Descended to the rivers open vewing, With a great train ensuing.

Above the rest were goodly to bee seene Two gentle Knights of lovely face and feature, Beseeming well the bower of any queene, With gifts of wit and ornaments of nature, Fit for so goodly stature, That like the Twins of Iove{38} they seem'd in sight, Which decke the bauldricke{39} of the heavens bright; They two forth pacing to the rivers side, Receiv'd those two faire Brides, their loves delight; Which,{40} at th' appointed tyde, Each one did make his Bryde Against their brydale day, which is not long: Sweet Themmes! runne softly, till I end my song.

NOTES.

This poem was written and published towards the end of the year 1595.

The word _prothalamium_ is from Gr. _pro_, for, and _thalamos_, a bride-chamber, and would more properly be applied to a marriage-song than to "a spousall verse." Spenser had already written--earlier in the same year--the "Epithalamium" in honor of his own marriage. The singing of a hymeneal song in connection with the wedding festivities was a very ancient custom among the Greeks. Homer alludes to it in the "Iliad,"

XVIII, 493:

"And two fair populous towns were sculptur'd there; In one were marriage pomp and revelry, And brides, in gay procession, through the streets With blazing torches from their chambers borne, While frequent rose the hymeneal song."

See, also, Spenser's "Faerie Queene," I, xii, 38.

1. =t.i.tans.= The word is used for Helios, the son of the t.i.tans, Hyperion and Thea. Observe that the apostrophe, as the sign of the possessive case, is never used by Spenser.

=glyster.= Glisten, s.h.i.+ne. From A.-S. _glisnian_, glow, or s.h.i.+ne with a soft light.

"All that glisters is not gold."

--_Shakespeare_, _Merchant of Venice_, Act ii, sc. vii.

"Know one false step is ne'er retrieved . . .

Nor all that glisters gold."

--_Gray_, _On a Favourite Cat, etc._

=fayre.= Fairly. An old form of the adverb, sanctioned by very old usage, but not current in Spenser's time.

2. =princes court.= Spenser had had experience of the many bitter disappointments which befall him who seeks the favor of royalty. In "Mother Hubbard's Tale" he complains in this wise:

"Full little knowest thou that hast not tride, What h.e.l.l it is in suing long to bide: To lose good dayes that might be better spent; To wast long nights in pensive discontent; To speed today, to be put back tomorrow; To feed on hope, to pine with feare and sorrow; To have thy Princes grace, yet want her Peeres; To have thy asking, yet waite manie yeeres; To fret thy soule with crosses and with cares; To eate thy heart through comfortlesse dispaires; To fawne, to crowche, to waite, to ride, to ronne; To spend, to give, to want, to be undonne."

3. =silver streaming Themmes.= Sir John Denham's apostrophe to the Thames is well known: