Come, thou just God! and equal me Till Love does the favour shew Love equals all a better way than you. Then never more shalt thou b'invok'd by me; Let her but grant, and then will I BEAUTY. BEAUTY! thou wild fantastick ape, Who dost in every country change thy shape! Here black, there brown, here tawny, and there white; Thou flatterer! which comply'st with every sight! Thou Babel, which confound'st the eye With unintelligible variety ! Who hast no certain What, nor Where; But vary'st still, and dost thyself declare Inconstant, as thy she-professors are. Beauty! Love's scene and masquerade, So gay by well-plac'd lights and distance made! False coin, with which th' impostor cheats us still; 'T is chiefly night which men to thee allow : Beauty! thou active, passive ill! Which dy'st thyself as fast as thou dost kill! star; Who dar'st not thine own home descry, Beauty! whose conquests still are made O'er hearts by cowards kept, or else betray'd; Weak victor! who thyself destroy'd must be When Sickness storms, or Time besieges thee! Thou 'unwholesome thaw to frozen age! Thou strong wine, which youth's fever dost enrage! Thou tyrant, which leav'st no man free! fhou subtle thief, from whom nought safe can be! thou murderer, which hast kill'd, and devil, which wouldst damn me! THE PARTING. AS men in Greenland left beheld the sun And thought upon the sad half-year So on my parting mistress did I look; With such swoln eyes my farewell took ; Ah, those blest lands to which bright Thou dost fly! In vain the men of learning comfort me, Say what they please, I say and swear "T is beyond eighty' at least, if you're not here. It is, it is; I tremble with the frost, And know that I the day have lost; I find to be but bears or foxes all. Return, return, gay planet of mine East, Of all that shines thou much the best! And, as thou now descend'st to sea, More fair and fresh rise up from thence to me! Thou, who in many a propriety, So truly art the sun to me, Add one more likeness (which I'm sure you can) And let me and my sun beget a man! MY PICTURE. HERE, take my likeness with you, whilst 't is so; The man who did this picture draw, I really believe, within a while, If you upon this shadow smile, Your presence will such vigour give (Your presence, which makes all things live!) And absence so much alter me, This will the substance, I the shadow, be. When from your well-wrought cabinet you take it, The new-soul'd picture gaze on thee, For those are the first things that it will do. My rival-image will be then thought blest, But thou, who (if I know thee right) I' th' substance dost not much delight, THE CONCEALMENT. break. NO; to what purpose should I speak As silent as they will be there : Since that lov'd hand this mortal wound does give, That she may guiltless of it live; May a chance-medley, and no murder, be. 'Tis nobler much for me, that I |