| John Donne (1572–1631). The Poems of John Donne. 1896. | | | | Songs and Sonnets | | Confined Love |
| | | SOME man unworthy to be possessor | |
| Of old or new love, himself being false or weak, | |
| Thought his pain 1 and shame would be lesser, | |
| If on womankind he might his anger wreak; | |
| And thence a law did grow, | 5 |
| One might but one man know; | |
| But are other creatures so? | |
| |
| Are sun, moon, or stars by law forbidden | |
| To smile where they list, or lend away 2 their light? | |
| Are birds divorced or are they chidden | 10 |
| If they leave their mate, 3 or lie abroad a night? 4 | |
| Beasts do no jointures lose | |
| Though they new lovers choose; | |
| But we are made worse than those. | |
| |
| Whoe’er rigg’d fair ships 5 to lie in harbours, | 15 |
| And not to seek lands, 6 or not to deal with all? | |
| Or built 7 fair houses, set trees, and arbours, | |
| Only to lock up, or else to let them fall? | |
| Good is not good, unless | |
| A thousand it possess, | 20 |
| But doth waste with greediness. | |
|
|
|
