Seccombe and Arber, comps. Elizabethan Sonnets. 1904.
Astrophel and StellaLXXVIII. O how the pleasant airs of true love be
Sir Philip Sidney (1554–1586)O
Infected by those vapours, which arise
From out that noisome gulf, which gaping lies
Between the jaws of hellish J
A monster! others’ harm! self’s misery!
B
Who his own joy to his own hurt applies;
And only cherish doth with injury!
Who since he hath—by Nature’s special grace—
So piercing paws, as spoil when they embrace;
So nimble feet, as stir still though on thorns;
So many eyes, aye seeking their own woe;
So ample ears, that never good news know:
Is it not evil that such a devil wants horns?