Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.
John Milton. 16081674311. Il Penseroso
HENCE vain deluding joyes, | |
The brood of folly without father bred, | |
How little you bested, | |
Or fill the fixèd mind with all your toyes; | |
Dwell in som idle brain, | 5 |
And fancies fond with gaudy shapes possess, | |
As thick and numberless | |
As the gay motes that people the Sun Beams, | |
Or likest hovering dreams | |
The fickle Pensioners of Morpheus train. | 10 |
But hail thou Goddes, sage and holy, | |
Hail divinest Melancholy, | |
Whose Saintly visage is too bright | |
To hit the Sense of human sight; | |
And therfore to our weaker view, | 15 |
Ore laid with black staid Wisdoms hue. | |
Black, but such as in esteem, | |
Prince Memnons sister might beseem, | |
Or that Starr’d Ethiope Queen that strove | |
To set her beauties praise above | 20 |
The Sea Nymphs, and their powers offended. | |
Yet thou art higher far descended, | |
Thee bright-hair’d Vesta long of yore, | |
To solitary Saturn bore; | |
His daughter she (in Saturns raign, | 25 |
Such mixture was not held a stain) | |
Oft in glimmering Bowres, and glades | |
He met her, and in secret shades | |
Of woody Ida’s inmost grove, | |
Whilst yet there was no fear of Jove. | 30 |
Com pensive Nun, devout and pure, | |
Sober, stedfast, and demure, | |
All in a robe of darkest grain, | |
Flowing with majestick train, | |
And sable stole of Cipres Lawn, | 35 |
Over thy decent shoulders drawn. | |
Com, but keep thy wonted state, | |
With eev’n step, and musing gate, | |
And looks commercing with the skies, | |
Thy rapt soul sitting in thine eyes: | 40 |
There held in holy passion still, | |
Forget thy self to Marble, till | |
With a sad Leaden downward cast, | |
Thou fix them on the earth as fast. | |
And joyn with thee calm Peace, and Quiet, | 45 |
Spare Fast, that oft with gods doth diet, | |
And hears the Muses in a ring, | |
Ay round about Joves Altar sing. | |
And adde to these retirèd Leasure, | |
That in trim Gardens takes his pleasure; | 50 |
But first, and chiefest, with thee bring, | |
Him that yon soars on golden wing, | |
Guiding the fiery-wheelèd throne, | |
The Cherub Contemplation, | |
And the mute Silence hist along, | 55 |
‘Less Philomel will daign a Song, | |
In her sweetest, saddest plight, | |
Smoothing the rugged brow of night, | |
While Cynthia checks her Dragon yoke, | |
Gently o’re th’accustom’d Oke; | 60 |
Sweet Bird that shunn’st the noise of folly, | |
Most musicall, most melancholy! | |
Thee Chauntress oft the Woods among, | |
I woo to hear thy eeven-Song; | |
And missing thee, I walk unseen | 65 |
On the dry smooth-shaven Green. | |
To behold the wandring Moon, | |
Riding neer her highest noon, | |
Like one that had bin led astray | |
Through the Heav’ns wide pathles way; | 70 |
And oft, as if her head she bow’d, | |
Stooping through a fleecy cloud. | |
Oft on a Plat of rising ground, | |
I hear the far-off Curfeu sound, | |
Over som wide-water’d shoar, | 75 |
Swinging slow with sullen roar; | |
Or if the Ayr will not permit, | |
Som still removèd place will fit, | |
Where glowing Embers through the room | |
Teach light to counterfeit a gloom, | 80 |
Far from all resort of mirth, | |
Save the Cricket on the hearth, | |
Or the Belmans drousie charm, | |
To bless the dores from nightly harm: | |
Or let my Lamp at midnight hour, | 85 |
Be seen in som high lonely Towr, | |
Where I may oft out-watch the Bear, | |
With thrice great Hermes, or unsphear | |
The spirit of Plato to unfold | |
What Worlds, or what vast Regions hold | 90 |
The immortal mind that hath forsook | |
Her mansion in this fleshly nook: | |
And of those Dæmons that are found | |
In fire, air, flood, or under ground, | |
Whose power hath a true consent | 95 |
With Planet, or with Element. | |
Som time let Gorgeous Tragedy | |
In Scepter’d Pall com sweeping by, | |
Presenting Thebs, or Pelops line, | |
Or the tale of Troy divine. | 100 |
Or what (though rare) of later age, | |
Ennoblèd hath the Buskind stage. | |
But, O sad Virgin, that thy power | |
Might raise Musæus from his bower | |
Or bid the soul of Orpheus sing | 105 |
Such notes as warbled to the string, | |
Drew Iron tears down Pluto’s cheek, | |
And made Hell grant what Love did seek. | |
Or call up him that left half told | |
The story of Cambuscan bold, | 110 |
Of Camball, and of Algarsife, | |
And who had Canace to wife, | |
That own’d the vertuous Ring and Glass, | |
And of the wondrous Hors of Brass, | |
On which the Tartar King did ride; | 115 |
And if ought els, great Bards beside, | |
In sage and solemn tunes have sung, | |
Of Turneys and of Trophies hung; | |
Of Forests, and inchantments drear, | |
Where more is meant then meets the ear. | 120 |
Thus night oft see me in thy pale career, | |
Till civil-suited Morn appeer, | |
Not trickt and frounc’t as she was wont, | |
With the Attick Boy to hunt, | |
But Cherchef’t in a comly Cloud, | 125 |
While rocking Winds are Piping loud, | |
Or usher’d with a shower still, | |
When the gust hath blown his fill, | |
Ending on the russling Leaves, | |
With minute drops from off the Eaves. | 130 |
And when the Sun begins to fling | |
His flaring beams, me Goddes bring | |
To archèd walks of twilight groves, | |
And shadows brown that Sylvan loves, | |
Of Pine, or monumental Oake, | 135 |
Where the rude Ax with heavèd stroke, | |
Was never heard the Nymphs to daunt, | |
Or fright them from their hallow’d haunt. | |
There in close covert by som Brook, | |
Where no profaner eye may look, | 140 |
Hide me from Day’s garish eie, | |
While the Bee with Honied thie, | |
That at her flowry work doth sing, | |
And the Waters murmuring | |
With such consort as they keep, | 145 |
Entice the dewy-feather’d Sleep; | |
And let som strange mysterious dream, | |
Wave at his Wings in Airy stream, | |
Of lively portrature display’d, | |
Softly on my eye-lids laid. | 150 |
And as I wake, sweet musick breath | |
Above, about, or underneath, | |
Sent by som spirit to mortals good, | |
Or th’unseen Genius of the Wood. | |
But let my due feet never fail, | 155 |
To walk the studious Cloysters pale, | |
And love the high embowèd Roof, | |
With antick Pillars massy proof, | |
And storied Windows richly dight, | |
Casting a dimm religious light. | 160 |
There let the pealing Organ blow, | |
To the full voic’d Quire below, | |
In Service high, and Anthems cleer, | |
As may with sweetnes, through mine ear, | |
Dissolve me into extasies, | 165 |
And bring all Heav’n before mine eyes. | |
And may at last my weary age | |
Find out the peacefull hermitage, | |
The Hairy Gown and Mossy Cell, | |
Where I may sit and rightly spell | 170 |
Of every Star that Heav’n doth shew, | |
And every Herb that sips the dew; | |
Till old experience do attain | |
To somthing like Prophetic strain. | |
These pleasures Melancholy give, | 175 |
And I with thee will choose to live. |