| |
PART FIRST MY dear and only love, I pray, | |
| This noble world of thee | |
| Be governed by no other sway | |
| But purest monarchie. | |
| For if confusion have a part, | 5 |
| Which virtuous souls abhore, | |
| And hold a synod in thy heart, | |
| I ’ll never love thee more. | |
| |
| Like Alexander I will reign, | |
| And I will reign alone, | 10 |
| My thoughts shall evermore disdain | |
| A rival on my throne. | |
| He either fears his fate too much, | |
| Or his deserts are small, | |
| That puts it not unto the touch, | 15 |
| To win or lose it all. | |
| |
| But I must rule and govern still | |
| And always give the law, | |
| And have each subject at my will, | |
| And all to stand in awe. | 20 |
| But ’gainst my battery if I find | |
| Thou shun’st the prize so sore | |
| As that thou set’st me up a blind, | |
| I ’ll never love thee more. | |
| |
| If in the empire of thy heart, | 25 |
| Where I should solely be, | |
| Another do pretend a part, | |
| And dares to vie with me; | |
| Or if committees thou erect, | |
| And go on such a score, | 30 |
| I ’ll sing and laugh at thy neglect, | |
| And never love thee more. | |
| |
| But if thou wilt be constant then, | |
| And faithful of thy word, | |
| I ’ll make thee glorious by my pen, | 35 |
| And famous by my sword. | |
| I ’ll serve thee in such noble ways | |
| Was never heard before; | |
| I ’ll crown and deck thee all with bays, | |
| And love thee ever more. | 40 |
| |
PART SECOND My dear and only love, take heed, | |
| Lest thou thyself expose, | |
| And let all longing lovers feed | |
| Upon such looks as those. | |
| A marble wall then build about, | 45 |
| Beset without a door; | |
| But if thou let thy heart fly out, | |
| I ’ll never love thee more. | |
| |
| Let not their oaths, like volleys shot, | |
| Make any breach at all; | 50 |
| Nor smoothness of their language plot | |
| Which way to scale the wall; | |
| Nor balls of wild-fire love consume | |
| The shrine which I adore; | |
| For if such smoke about thee fume, | 55 |
| I ’ll never love thee more. | |
| |
| I think thy virtues be too strong | |
| To suffer by surprise; | |
| Those victualled by my love so long, | |
| The siege at length must rise, | 60 |
| And leave thee rulèd in that health | |
| And state thou wast before; | |
| But if thou turn a commonwealth, | |
| I ’ll never love thee more. | |
| |
| Or if by fraud, or by consent, | 65 |
| Thy heart to ruine come, | |
| I ’ll sound no trumpet as I wont, | |
| Nor march by tuck of drum; | |
| But hold my arms, like ensigns, up, | |
| Thy falsehood to deplore, | 70 |
| And bitterly will sigh and weep, | |
| And never love thee more. | |
| |
| I ’ll do with thee as Nero did | |
| When Rome was set on fire, | |
| Not only all relief forbid, | 75 |
| But to a hill retire, | |
| And scorn to shed a tear to see | |
| Thy spirit grown so poor; | |
| But smiling sing, until I die, | |
| I ’ll never love thee more. | 80 |
| |
| Yet, for the love I bare thee once, | |
| Lest that thy name should die, | |
| A monument of marble-stone | |
| The truth shall testifie; | |
| That every pilgrim passing by | 85 |
| May pity and deplore | |
| My case, and read the reason why | |
| I can love thee no more. | |
| |
| The golden laws of love shall be | |
| Upon this pillar hung,— | 90 |
| A simple heart, a single eye, | |
| A true and constant tongue; | |
| Let no man for more love pretend | |
| Than he has hearts in store; | |
| True love begun shall never end; | 95 |
| Love one and love no more. | |
| |
| Then shall thy heart be set by mine, | |
| But in far different case; | |
| For mine was true, so was not thine, | |
| But lookt like Janus’ face. | 100 |
| For as the waves with every wind, | |
| So sail’st thou every shore, | |
| And leav’st my constant heart behind,— | |
| How can I love thee more? | |
| |
| My heart shall with the sun be fixed | 105 |
| For constancy most strange, | |
| And thine shall with the moon be mixed, | |
| Delighting ay in change. | |
| Thy beauty shined at first more bright, | |
| And woe is me therefore, | 110 |
| That ever I found thy love so light | |
| I could love thee no more! | |
| |
| The misty mountains, smoking lakes, | |
| The rocks’ resounding echo, | |
| The whistling wind that murmur makes, | 115 |
| Shall with me sing hey ho! | |
| The tossing seas, the tumbling boats, | |
| Tears dropping from each shore, | |
| Shall tune with me their turtle notes— | |
| I ’ll never love thee more. | 120 |
| |
| As doth the turtle, chaste and true, | |
| Her fellow’s death regrete, | |
| And daily mourns for his adieu, | |
| And ne’er renews her mate; | |
| So, though thy faith was never fast, | 125 |
| Which grieves me wondrous sore, | |
| Yet I shall live in love so chaste, | |
| That I shall love no more. | |
| |
| And when all gallants ride about | |
| These monuments to view, | 130 |
| Whereon is written, in and out, | |
| Thou traitorous and untrue; | |
| Then in a passion they shall pause, | |
| And thus say, sighing sore, | |
| “Alas! he had too just a cause | 135 |
| Never to love thee more.” | |
| |
| And when that tracing goddess Fame | |
| From east to west shall flee, | |
| She shall record it, to thy shame, | |
| How thou hast lovèd me; | 140 |
| And how in odds our love was such | |
| As few have been before; | |
| Thou loved too many, and I too much, | |
| So I can love no more. | |
| |
