| Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900. |
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| Jasper Mayne. 1604–1672 |
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| 296. Time |
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| TIME is the feather'd thing, | |
| And, whilst I praise | |
| The sparklings of thy looks and call them rays, | |
| Takes wing, | |
| Leaving behind him as he flies | 5 |
| An unperceivèd dimness in thine eyes. | |
| His minutes, whilst they're told, | |
| Do make us old; | |
| And every sand of his fleet glass, | |
| Increasing age as it doth pass, | 10 |
| Insensibly sows wrinkles there | |
| Where flowers and roses do appear. | |
| Whilst we do speak, our fire | |
| Doth into ice expire, | |
| Flames turn to frost; | 15 |
| And ere we can | |
| Know how our crow turns swan, | |
| Or how a silver snow | |
| Springs there where jet did grow, | |
| Our fading spring is in dull winter lost. | 20 |
| Since then the Night hath hurl'd | |
| Darkness, Love's shade, | |
| Over its enemy the Day, and made | |
| The world | |
| Just such a blind and shapeless thing | 25 |
| As 'twas before light did from darkness spring, | |
| Let us employ its treasure | |
| And make shade pleasure: | |
| Let 's number out the hours by blisses, | |
| And count the minutes by our kisses; | 30 |
| Let the heavens new motions feel | |
| And by our embraces wheel; | |
| And whilst we try the way | |
| By which Love doth convey | |
| Soul unto soul, | 35 |
| And mingling so | |
| Makes them such raptures know | |
| As makes them entrancèd lie | |
| In mutual ecstasy, | |
| Let the harmonious spheres in music roll! | 40 |
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