I IT was the time when rest, soft sliding downe | |
| From heavens hight into mens heavy eyes, | |
| In the forgetfulnes of sleepe doth drowne | |
| The carefull thoughts of mortall miseries. | |
| Then did a ghost before mine eyes appeare, | 5 |
| On that great rivers banck, that runnes by Rome, | |
| Which, calling me by name, bad me to reare | |
| My lookes to heaven, whence all good gifts do come, | |
| And crying lowd, ‘Loe now, beholde,’ quoth hee, | |
| ‘What under this great temple placed is: | 10 |
| Lo, all is nought but flying vanitee!’ | |
| So I, that know this worlds inconstancies, | |
| Sith onely God surmounts all times decay, | |
| In God alone my confidence do stay. | |
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II On high hills top I saw a stately frame, | 15 |
| An hundred cubits high by just assize, | |
| With hundreth pillours fronting faire the same, | |
| All wrought with diamond after Dorick wize: | |
| Nor brick, nor marble was the wall in view, | |
| But shining christall, which from top to base | 20 |
| Out of her womb a thousand rayons threw | |
| On hundred steps of Afrike golds enchase: | |
| Golde was the parget, and the seeling bright | |
| Did shine all scaly with great plates of golde; | |
| The floore of jasp and emeraude was dight. | 25 |
| O worlds vainesse! Whiles thus I did behold, | |
| An earthquake shooke the hill from lowest seat, | |
| And overthrew this frame with ruine great. | |
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III Then did a sharped spyre of diamond bright, | |
| Ten feete each way in square, appeare to mee, | 30 |
| Justly proportion’d up unto his hight, | |
| So far as archer might his level see: | |
| The top thereof a pot did seeme to beare, | |
| Made of the mettall which we most do honour, | |
| And in this golden vessell couched weare | 35 |
| The ashes of a mightie emperour: | |
| Upon foure corners of the base were pight, | |
| To beare the frame, foure great lyons of gold; | |
| A worthy tombe for such a worthy wight. | |
| Alas! this world doth nought but grievance hold. | 40 |
| I saw a tempest from the heavenn descend, | |
| Which this brave monument with flash did rend. | |
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IV I saw raysde up on yvorie pillours tall, | |
| Whose bases were of richest mettalls warke, | |
| The chapters alabaster, the fryses christall, | 45 |
| The double front of a triumphall arke: | |
| On each side purtraid was a Victorie, | |
| Clad like a nimph, that wings of silver weares, | |
| And in triumphant chayre was set on hie | |
| The auncient glory of the Romaine peares. | 50 |
| No worke it seem’d of earthly craftsmans wit, | |
| But rather wrought by his owne industry, | |
| That thunder-dartes for Jove his syre doth fit. | |
| Let me no more see faire thing under sky, | |
| Sith that mine eyes have seene so faire a sight | 55 |
| With sodain fall to dust consumed quight. | |
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V Then was the faire Dodonian tree far seene | |
| Upon seaven hills to spread his gladsome gleame, | |
| And conquerours bedecked with his greene, | |
| Along the bancks of the Ausonian streame: | 60 |
| There many an auncient trophee was addrest, | |
| And many a spoyle, and many a goodly show, | |
| Which that brave races greatnes did attest, | |
| That whilome from the Troyan blood did flow. | |
| Ravisht I was so rare a thing to vew; | 65 |
| When lo! a barbarous troupe of clownish fone | |
| The honour of these noble boughs down threw: | |
| Under the wedge I heard the tronck to grone; | |
| And since, I saw the roote in great disdaine | |
| A twinne of forked trees send forth againe. | 70 |
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VI I saw a wolfe under a rockie cave | |
| Noursing two whelpes; I saw her litle ones | |
| In wanton dalliance the teate to crave, | |
| While she her neck wreath’d from them for the nones. | |
| I saw her raunge abroad to seeke her food, | 75 |
| And roming through the field with greedie rage | |
| T’ embrew her teeth and clawes with lukewarm blood | |
| Of the small heards, her thirst for to asswage. | |
| I saw a thousand huntsmen, which descended | |
| Downe from the mountaines bordring Lombardie, | 80 |
| That with an hundred speares her flank wide rended: | |
| I saw her on the plaine outstretched lie, | |
| Throwing out thousand throbs in her owne soyle: | |
| Soone on a tree uphang’d I saw her spoyle. | |
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VII I saw the bird that can the sun endure | 85 |
| With feeble wings assay to mount on hight; | |
| By more and more she gan her wings t’ assure, | |
| Following th’ ensample of her mothers sight: | |
| I saw her rise, and with a larger flight | |
| To pierce the cloudes, and with wide pinneons | 90 |
| To measure the most haughtie mountaines hight, | |
| Untill she raught the gods owne mansions: | |
| There was she lost; when suddaine I behelde, | |
| Where, tumbling through the ayre in firie fold, | |
| All flaming downe she on the plaine was felde, | 95 |
| And soone her bodie turn’d to ashes colde. | |
| I saw the foule that doth the light dispise | |
| Out of her dust like to a worme arise. | |
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VIII I saw a river swift, whose fomy billowes | |
| Did wash the ground work of an old great wall; | 100 |
| I saw it cover’d all with griesly shadowes, | |
| That with black horror did the ayre appall: | |
| Thereout a strange beast with seven heads arose, | |
| That townes and castles under her brest did coure, | |
| And seem’d both milder beasts and fiercer foes | 105 |
| Alike with equall ravine to devoure. | |
| Much was I mazde, to see this monsters kinde | |
| In hundred formes to change his fearefull hew; | |
| When as at length I saw the wrathfull winde, | |
| Which blows cold storms, burst out of Scithian mew, | 110 |
| That sperst these cloudes, and in so short as thought, | |
| This dreadfull shape was vanished to nought. | |
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IX Then all astoined with this mighty ghoast, | |
| An hideous bodie, big and strong, I sawe, | |
| With side long beard, and locks down hanging loast, | 115 |
| Sterne face, and front full of Saturnlike awe; | |
| Who, leaning on the belly of a pot, | |
| Pourd foorth a water, whose out gushing flood | |
| Ran bathing all the creakie shore aflot, | |
| Whereon the Troyan prince spilt Turnus blood; | 120 |
| And at his feete a bitch wolfe suck did yeeld | |
| To two young babes: his left the palme tree stout, | |
| His right hand did the peacefull olive wield, | |
| And head with lawrell garnisht was about. | |
| Sudden both palme and olive fell away, | 125 |
| And faire greene lawrell branch did quite decay. | |
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X Hard by a rivers side a virgin faire, | |
| Folding her armes to heaven with thousand throbs, | |
| And outraging her cheekes and golden haire, | |
| To falling rivers sound thus tun’d her sobs. | 130 |
| ‘Where is,’ quoth she, ‘this whilom honoured face? | |
| Where the great glorie and the auncient praise, | |
| In which all worlds felicitie had place, | |
| When gods and men my honour up did raise? | |
| Suffisd’ it not that civill warres me made | 135 |
| The whole worlds spoile, but that this Hydra new, | |
| Of hundred Hercules to be assaide, | |
| With seven heads, budding monstrous crimes anew, | |
| So many Neroes and Caligulaes | |
| Out of these crooked shores must dayly rayse?’ | 140 |
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XI Upon an hill a bright flame I did see, | |
| Waving aloft with triple point to skie, | |
| Which, like incense of precious cedar tree, | |
| With balmie odours fil’d th’ ayre farre and nie. | |
| A bird all white, well feathered on each wing, | 145 |
| Hereout up to the throne of gods did flie, | |
| And all the way most pleasant notes did sing, | |
| Whilst in the smoake she unto heaven did stie. | |
| Of this faire fire the scattered rayes forth threw | |
| On everie side a thousand shining beames: | 150 |
| When sudden dropping of a silver dew | |
| (O grievous chance!) gan quench those precious flames; | |
| That it, which earst so pleasant sent did yeld, | |
| Of nothing now but noyous sulphure smeld. | |
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XII I saw a spring out of a rocke forth rayle, | 155 |
| As cleare as christall gainst the sunnie beames, | |
| The bottome yeallow, like the golden grayle | |
| That bright Pactolus washeth with his streames: | |
| It seem’d that Art and Nature had assembled | |
| All pleasure there, for which mans hart could long; | 160 |
| And there a noyse alluring sleepe soft trembled, | |
| Of manie accords, more sweete than mermaids song: | |
| The seates and benches shone as yvorie, | |
| And hundred nymphes sate side by side about: | |
| When from nigh hills, with hideous outcrie, | 165 |
| A troupe of satyres in the place did rout, | |
| Which with their villeine feete the streame did ray, | |
| Threw down the seats, and drove the nymphs away. | |
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XIII Much richer then that vessell seem’d to bee, | |
| Which did to that sad Florentine appeare, | 170 |
| Casting mine eyes farre off, I chaunst to see | |
| Upon the Latine coast herselfe to reare. | |
| But suddenly arose a tempest great, | |
| Bearing close envie to these riches rare, | |
| Which gan assaile this ship with dreadfull threat, | 175 |
| This ship, to which none other might compare. | |
| And finally the storme impetuous | |
| Sunke up these riches, second unto none, | |
| Within the gulfe of greedie Nereus. | |
| I saw both ship and mariners each one, | 180 |
| And all that treasure, drowned in the maine: | |
| But I the ship saw after raisd’ againe. | |
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XIV Long having deeply gron’d these visions sad, | |
| I saw a citie like unto that same, | |
| Which saw the messenger of tidings glad, | 185 |
| But that on sand was built the goodly frame: | |
| It seem’d her top the firmament did rayse, | |
| And no lesse rich than faire, right worthie sure | |
| (If ought here worthie) of immortall dayes, | |
| Or if ought under heaven might firme endure. | 190 |
| Much wondred I to see so faire a wall: | |
| When from the Northerne coast a storme arose, | |
| Which, breathing furie from his inward gall | |
| On all which did against his course oppose, | |
| Into a clowde of dust sperst in the aire | 195 |
| The weake foundations of this citie faire. | |
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XV At length, even at the time when Morpheus | |
| Most trulie doth unto our eyes appeare, | |
| Wearie to see the heavens still wavering thus, | |
| I saw Typhæus sister comming neare; | 200 |
| Whose head, full bravely with a morion hidd, | |
| Did seeme to match the gods in majestie. | |
| She, by a rivers bancke that swift downe slidd, | |
| Over all the world did raise a trophee hie; | |
| An hundred vanquisht kings under her lay, | 205 |
| With armes bound at their backs in shamefull wize. | |
| Whilst I thus mazed was with great affray, | |
| I saw the heavens in warre against her rize: | |
| Then downe she stricken fell with clap of thonder, | |
That with great noyse I wakte in sudden wonder.
FINIS. | 210 |
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