VANITAS VANITATUM N loving thee thou know'st I am forsworn, IN But thou art twice forsworn, to me love swearing, In act thy bed-vow broke and new faith torn But why of two oaths' breach do I accuse thee, For I have sworn deep oaths of thy deep kindness, And, to enlighten thee, gave eyes to blindness, For I have sworn thee fair; more perjured I, YOUTH AND AGE CRABBED Age and Youth cannot live together: Youth is full of pleasance, age is full of care; Youth like summer morn, age like winter weather; Youth like summer brave, age like winter bare. Youth is full of sport, age's breath is short; Youth is nimble, age is lame; Youth is hot and bold, age is weak and cold; Age, I do abhor thee; Youth, I do adore thee; O, my Love, my Love is young! Age, I do defy thee: O, sweet shepherd, hie thee, For methinks thou stay'st too long. FAIR AND FALSE FAIR is my Love, but not so fair as fickle; Mild as a dove, but neither true nor trusty; Brighter than glass, and yet, as glass is, brittle; Softer than wax, and yet, as iron, rusty : A lily pale, with damask dye to grace her, Her lips to mine how often hath she join❜d, Between each kiss her oaths of true love swearing! How many tales to please me hath she coin'd, Dreading my love, the loss thereof still fearing! Yet in the midst of all her pure protestings, Her faith, her oaths, her tears, and all were jestings. She burn'd with love, as straw with fire flameth; She burn'd out love, as soon as straw out-burneth; She framed the love, and yet she foil'd the framing ; She bade love last, and yet she fell a-turning. Was this a lover, or a lecher whether? Bad in the best, though excellent in neither. TO-MORROW LORD, how mine eyes throw gazes to the east ! My heart doth charge the watch; the morning rise Doth cite each moving sense from idle rest. Not daring trust the office of mine eyes, While Philomela sits and sings, I sit and mark, And wish her lays were tunéd like the lark; For she doth welcome daylight with her ditty, sorrow; For why, she sigh'd, and bade me come to morrow. |