He burns with bashful shame; she with her tears
Doth quench the maiden burning of his cheeks;
Then with her windy sighs and golden hairs
To fan and blow them dry again she seeks:

52

He saith she is immodest, blames her miss; What follows more she murders with a kiss. Even as an empty eagle, sharp by fast, Tires with her beak on feathers, flesh and bone, Shaking her wings, devouring all in haste, 57 Till either gorge be stuff'd or prey be gone; Even so she kiss'd his brow, his cheek, his chin, And where she ends she doth anew begin. 60 Forc'd to content, but never to obey, Panting he lies, and breatheth in her face; She feedeth on the steam, as on a prey, And calls it heavenly moisture, air of grace; 64 Wishing her cheeks were gardens full of flowers,

So they were dew'd with such distilling

showers.

I have been woo'd, as I entreat thee now,
Even by the stern and direful god of war,
Whose sinewy neck in battle ne'er did bow,
Who conquers where he comes in every jar; 100
Yet hath he been my captive and my slave,
And begg'd for that which thou unask'd shalt
have.

'Over my altars hath he hung his lance,
His batter'd shield, his uncontrolled crest, 104
And for my sake hath learn'd to sport and
dance,

To toy, to wanton, dally, smile, and jest; Scorning his churlish drum and ensign red, Making my arms his field, his tent my bed.

"Thou canst not see one wrinkle in my brow; Mine eyes are grey and bright, and quick in turning; 140

My beauty as the spring doth yearly grow; My flesh is soft and plump, my marrow burning;

My smooth moist hand, were it with thy hand felt,

Would in thy palm dissolve, or seem to melt.

'Bid me discourse, I will enchant thine ear, 145
Or like a fairy trip upon the green,
Or, like a nymph, with long dishevell'd hair,
Dance on the sands, and yet no footing seen:
Love is a spirit all compact of fire,

149

Not gross to sink, but light, and will aspire.

'Witness this primrose bank whereon I lie; These forceless flowers like sturdy trees support

'Upon the earth's increase why shouldst thou feed,

Unless the earth with thy increase be fed?
By law of nature thou art bound to breed,
That thine may live when thou thyself art dead;
And so in spite of death thou dost survive, 173
In that thy likeness still is left alive.'

By this the love-sick queen began to sweat,
For where they lay the shadow had forsook
them,

And Titan, tired in the mid-day heat,
With burning eye did hotly overlook them;
Wishing Adonis had his team to guide,
So he were like him and by Venus' side.

176

And now Adonis with a lazy spright,
And with a heavy, dark, disliking eye,
His louring brows o'erwhelming his fair sight,
Like misty vapours when they blot the sky, 184
Souring his cheeks, cries, 'Fie! no more of
love:

The sun doth burn my face; I must remove.'
What bare excuses mak'st thou to be gone; 188
'Ay me,' quoth Venus, young, and so unkind?
Shall cool the heat of this descending sun:
I'll sigh celestial breath, whose gentle wind

I'll make a shadow for thee of my hairs; If they burn too, I'll quench them with my tears.

192 'The sun that shines from heaven shines but

180

At this Adonis smiles as in disdain,
That in each cheek appears a pretty dimple:
Love made those hollows, if himself were slain,
He might be buried in a tomb so simple;
244

Foreknowing well, if there he came to lie, Why, there Love liv'd and there he could not die.

These lovely caves, these round enchanting pits, Open'd their mouths to swallow Venus' liking. Being mad before, how doth she now for wits? Struck dead at first, what needs a second striking? 250

Poor queen of love, in thine own law forlorn, To love a cheek that smiles at thee in scorn!

Now which way shall she turn? what shall she say?

Her words are done, her woes the more increasing;

254

Imperiously he leaps, he neighs, he bounds, 265 And now his woven girths he breaks asunder; The bearing earth with his hard hoof he wounds, Whose hollow womb resounds like heaven's thunder; 268

The iron bit he crushes 'tween his teeth,
Controlling what he was controlled with.

His ears up-prick'd; his braided hanging

mane

271 Upon his compass'd crest now stand on end; His nostrils drink the air, and forth again, As from a furnace, vapours doth he send: His eye, which scornfully glisters like fire, Shows his hot courage and his high desire. Sometime he trots, as if he told the steps, 277 With gentle majesty and modest pride; Anon he rears upright, curvets and leaps, As who should say, 'Lo! thus my strength is tried;

And this I do to captivate the eye

Of the fair breeder that is standing by.'

280

High crest, short ears, straight legs and passing strong,

Thin mane, thick tail, broad buttock, tender hide:

Look, what a horse should have he did not lack,

Save a proud rider on so proud a back. 300

Sometimes he scuds far off, and there he stares;

Anon he starts at stirring of a feather; To bid the wind a base he now prepares, And whe'r he run or fly they know not whether; For through his mane and tail the high wind sings, 305 Fanning the hairs, who wave like feather'd wings.

He looks upon his love, and neighs unto her; She answers him as if she knew his mind; 308 Being proud, as females are, to see him woo her, She puts on outward strangeness, seems unkind,

Spurns at his love and scorns the heat he feels,

313

Beating his kind embracements with her heels. Then, like a melancholy malcontent, He vails his tail that, like a falling plume Cool shadow to his melting buttock lent: He stamps, and bites the poor flies in his fume. His love, perceiving how he is enrag'd, 317 Grew kinder, and his fury was assuag'd.

His testy master goeth about to take him; When lo! the unback'd breeder, full of fear, 320 Jealous of catching, swiftly doth forsake him, With her the horse, and left Adonis there.

As they were mad, unto the wood they hie them,

Out-stripping crows that strive to over-fly them.

324

All swoln with chafing, down Adonis sits,
Banning his boisterous and unruly beast:
And now the happy season once more fits,
That love-sick Love by pleading may be blest;
For lovers say, the heart hath treble wrong
When it is barr'd the aidance of the tongue.

333

An oven that is stopp'd, or river stay'd,
Burneth more hotly, swelleth with more rage:
So of concealed sorrow may be said;
Free vent of words love's fire doth assuage;
But when the heart's attorney once is mute,
The client breaks, as desperate in his suit. 336
He sees her coming, and begins to glow,—
Even as a dying coal revives with wind,–
And with his bonnet hides his angry brow;
Looks on the dull earth with disturbed mind,
Taking no notice that she is so nigh,
For all askance he holds her in his eye.

O! what a sight it was, wistly to view
How she came stealing to the wayward boy;
To note the fighting conflict of her hue,
How white and red each other did destroy:

341

345

'Give me my hand,' saith he, 'why dost thou feel it?'

'Give me my heart,' saith she, 'and thou shalt have it;

O! give it me, lest thy hard heart do steel it,
And being steel'd, soft sighs can never grave it:
Then love's deep groans I never shall regard,
Because Adonis' heart hath made mine hard.'
'For shame,' he cries, 'let go, and let me go;
My day's delight is past, my horse is gone, 380
And 'tis your fault I am bereft him so:
I pray you hence, and leave me here alone:

For all my mind, my thought, my busy care, Is how to get my palfrey from the mare.' 384 Thus she replies: "Thy palfrey, as he should, Welcomes the warm approach of sweet desire: Affection is a coal that must be cool'd;

Else, suffer'd, it will set the heart on fire: 388 The sea hath bounds, but deep desire hath

none;

392

Therefore no marvel though thy horse be gone. How like a jade he stood, tied to the tree, Servilely master'd with a leathern rein! But when he saw his love, his youth's fair fee, He held such petty bondage in disdain; Throwing the base thong from his bending crest,

Enfranchising his mouth, his back, his breast.

396