*79*
MRS ELIZ: WHEELER, UNDER THE NAME OF THE
LOST SHEPHERDESS
Among the myrtles as I walk'd Love and my sighs thus intertalk'd:
Tell me, said I, in deep distress, Where I may find my Shepherdess?
--Thou fool, said Love, know'st thou not this?
In every thing that's sweet she is.
In yond' carnation go and seek, There thou shalt find her lip and cheek;
In that enamell'd pansy by, There thou shalt have her curious eye;
In bloom of peach and rose's bud, There waves the streamer of her blood.
--'Tis true, said I; and thereupon I went to pluck them one by one, To make of parts an union;
But on a sudden all were gone.
At which I stopp'd; Said Love, these be The true resemblances of thee;
For as these flowers, thy joys must die;
And in the turning of an eye;
And all thy hopes of her must wither, Like those short sweets here knit together.
*80*
A VOW TO VENUS
Happily I had a sight Of my dearest dear last night;
Make her this day smile on me, And I'll roses give to thee!
*81*
UPON LOVE
A crystal vial Cupid brought, Which had a juice in it:
Of which who drank, he said, no thought Of Love he should admit.
I, greedy of the prize, did drink, And emptied soon the glass;
Which burnt me so, that I do think The fire of hell it was.
Give me my earthen cups again, The crystal I contemn, Which, though enchased with pearls, contain A deadly draught in them.
And thou, O Cupid! come not to My threshold,--since I see, For all I have, or else can do, Thou still wilt cozen me.
*82*
UPON JULIA'S CLOTHES
Whenas in silks my Julia goes, Till, then, methinks, how sweetly flows That liquefaction of her clothes!
Next, when I cast mine eyes, and see That brave vibration each way free;
O how that glittering taketh me!
*83*
THE BRACELET TO JULIA
Why I tie about thy wrist, Julia, this my silken twist?
For what other reason is't, But to shew thee how in part Thou my pretty captive art?
But thy bond-slave is my heart;
'Tis but silk that bindeth thee, Knap the thread and thou art free;
But 'tis otherwise with me;
I am bound, and fast bound so, That from thee I cannot go;
If I could, I would not so.
*84*
UPON JULIA'S RIBBON
As shews the air when with a rain-bow graced, So smiles that ribbon 'bout my Julia's waist;
Or like----Nay, 'tis that Zonulet of love, Wherein all pleasures of the world are wove.
*85*
TO JULIA
How rich and pleasing thou, my Julia, art, In each thy dainty and peculiar part!
First, for thy Queen-ship on thy head is set Of flowers a sweet commingled coronet;
About thy neck a carkanet is bound, Made of the Ruby, Pearl, and Diamond;
A golden ring, that shines upon thy thumb;
About thy wrist the rich Dardanium;
Between thy breasts, than down of swans more white, There plays the Sapphire with the Chrysolite.
No part besides must of thyself be known, But by the Topaz, Opal, Calcedon.
*86*
ART ABOVE NATURE: TO JULIA
When I behold a forest spread With silken trees upon thy head;
And when I see that other dress Of flowers set in comeliness;
When I behold another grace In the ascent of curious lace, Which, like a pinnacle, doth shew The top, and the top-gallant too;
Then, when I see thy tresses bound Into an oval, square, or round, And knit in knots far more than I.
Can tell by tongue, or True-love tie;
Next, when those lawny films I see Play with a wild civility;
And all those airy silks to flow, Alluring me, and tempting so--
I must confess, mine eye and heart Dotes less on nature than on art.
*87*
HER BED
See'st thou that cloud as silver clear, Plump, soft, and swelling every where?
'Tis Julia's bed, and she sleeps there.
*88*
THE ROCK OF RUBIES, AND THE QUARRY OF
PEARLS
Some ask'd me where the Rubies grew:
And nothing I did say, But with my finger pointed to The lips of Julia.
Some ask'd how Pearls did grow, and where:
Then spoke I to my girl, To part her lips, and shew me there The quarrelets of Pearl.
*89*
THE PARLIAMENT OF ROSES TO JULIA
I dreamt the Roses one time went To meet and sit in Parliament;
The place for these, and for the rest Of flowers, was thy spotless breast.
Over the which a state was drawn Of tiffany, or cob-web lawn;
Then in that Parly all those powers Voted the Rose the Queen of flowers;
But so, as that herself should be The Maid of Honour unto thee.
*90*
UPON JULIA'S RECOVERY
Droop, droop no more, or hang the head, Ye roses almost withered;
Now strength, and newer purple get, Each here declining violet.
O primroses! let this day be A resurrection unto ye;
And to all flowers allied in blood, Or sworn to that sweet sisterhood.
For health on Julia's cheek hath shed Claret and cream commingled;
And those, her lips, do now appear As beams of coral, but more clear.
*91*
UPON JULIA'S HAIR FILLED WITH DEW
Dew sate on Julia's hair, And spangled too, Like leaves that laden are With trembling dew;
Or glitter'd to my sight, As when the beams Have their reflected light Danced by the streams.
*92*
CHERRY RIPE
Cherry-ripe, ripe, ripe, I cry, Full and fair ones; come, and buy:
If so be you ask me where They do grow? I answer, there Where my Julia's lips do smile;--
There's the land, or cherry-isle;
Whose plantations fully show All the year where cherries grow.
*93*
THE CAPTIVE BEE; OR, THE LITTLE FILCHER
As Julia once a-slumb'ring lay, It chanced a bee did fly that way, After a dew, or dew-like shower, To tipple freely in a flower;
For some rich flower, he took the lip Of Julia, and began to sip;
But when he felt he suck'd from thence Honey, and in the quintessence, He drank so much he scarce could stir;
So Julia took the pilferer.
And thus surprised, as filchers use, He thus began himself t'excuse:
'Sweet lady-flower, I never brought Hither the least one thieving thought;
But taking those rare lips of yours For some fresh, fragrant, luscious flowers, I thought I might there take a taste, Where so much sirup ran at waste.
Besides, know this, I never sting The flower that gives me nourishing;
But with a kiss, or thanks, do pay For honey that I bear away.'
--This said, he laid his little scrip Of honey 'fore her ladyship, And told her, as some tears did fall, That, that he took, and that was all.
