DID not the heavenly rhetoric of thine eye, Vows for thee broke deserve not punishment. The foregoing Sonnet appears, with some variations, in 'Love's Labour 's Lost,' the first edition of which was printed in 1598. We give the lines in which the variations occur: "'Gainst II. Sweet Cytherea, sitting by a brook, With young Adonis, lovely, fresh, and green, She show'd him favours to allure his eye; To win his heart, she touch'd him here and there: But whether unripe years did want conceit, Or he refus'd to take her figur'd proffer, The tender nibbler would not touch the bait, But smile and jest at every gentle offer: Then fell she on her back, fair queen, and toward; III. If love make me forsworn, how shall I swear to love? Celestial as thou art, O do not love that wrong, To sing the heavens' praise with such an earthly tonguea. IV. Scarce had the sun dried up the dewy morn, And scarce the herd gone to the hedge for shade, "'Gainst whom the world cannot hold argument." "Vows are but breath, and breath a vapour is; Then thou fair sun, which on my earth dost shine, The text of the play is evidently superior to that in 'The Passionate Pilgrim.' This Sonnet also occurs in 'Love's Labour 's Lost,' in which copy there are variations in several lines. In the second we read, "Ah, never faith;" in the third, "faithful prove;" in the. fourth, "were oaks;" in the sixth, "would comprehend;" in the eleventh, "lightning bears." The concluding lines are as follows: "Celestial as thou art, oh pardon, love, this wrong, That sings heaven's praise with such an earthly tongue." When Cytherea, all in love forlorn, A brook where Adon used to cool his spleen. He, spying her, bounc'd in, whereas he stood; V. Fair is my love, but not so fair as fickle; A lily pale, with damask die to grace her, Her lips to mine how often hath she join'd, She burn'd with love, as straw with fire flameth, Was this a lover, or a lecher whether? Bad in the best, though excellent in neither. VI. If music and sweet poetry agree, As they must needs, the sister and the brother, Thou lov'st to hear the sweet melodious sound One god is god of both, as poets feign; One knight loves both, and both in thee remain. VII. Fair was the morn, when the fair queen of love, a Paler for sorrow than her milk-white dove, See in my thigh, quoth she, here was the sore: VIII. Sweet rose, fair flower, untimely pluck'd, soon vaded", Bright orient pearl, alack! too timely shaded! Fair creature, kill'd too soon by death's sharp sting! I Like a green plum that hangs upon a tree, And falls, through wind, before the fall should be. weep for thee, and yet no cause I have; For why? thou left'st me nothing in thy will, And yet thou left'st me more than I did crave; For why? I craved nothing of thee still: Venus, with Adonis sitting by her, Under a myrtle shade, began to woo him: She told the youngling how god Mars did try her, And as he fell to her, she fell to him. a The second line is lost. b Vaded-faded. This form of the word often occurs in Shakspere, and has been too frequently changed in reprints. This Sonnet is found in Fidessa,' by B. Griffin, 1596. There are great variations in that copy. Amongst others we have the epithet young before Adonis. If we make a pause after Venus, Even thus, quoth she, the warlike god embrac'd me; And would not take her meaning nor her pleasure. X. Crabbed age and youth Age like winter weather; Age like winter bare. Age's breath is short, Youth is nimble, age is lame: Youth is hot and bold, Age is weak and cold; Youth is wild, and age is tame. 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. the epithet is not necessary to the metre. The fourth line is given more metrically in 'Fidessa:' "And as he fell to her, so she fell to him." |