| John Dryden (1631–1700). The Poems of John Dryden. 1913. | | | | Songs from the Plays | | “Why should a foolish Marriage Vow,” from Marriage-à-la-Mode |
| | 1 WHY should a foolish Marriage Vow | |
| Which long ago was made, | |
| Oblige us to each other now | |
| When Passion is decay’d? | |
| We lov’d, and we lov’d, as long as we cou’d, | 5 |
| Till our Love was lov’d out in us both: | |
| But our Marriage is dead, when the Pleasure is fled: | |
| ’Twas Pleasure first made it an Oath. | |
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2 If I have Pleasures for a Friend, | |
| And farther Love in store, | 10 |
| What Wrong has he whose Joys did end, | |
| And who cou’d give no more? | |
| ’Tis a madness that he | |
| Shou’d be jealous of me, | |
| Or that I shou’d bar him of another: | 15 |
| For all we can gain is to give our selves pain, | |
| When neither can hinder the other. | | | | |
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