Classic Poem

Diones Garden of delight ,
With wonder holds Anchises sight ;
While from the Bower such Musique sounds,
As all his senses neere confounds.
1

One day it chanc't as hee the Deere persude,
Tyred with sport, and faint with weary play,
Faire Venus grove not farre away he view'd,
Whose trembling leaves invite him there to stay,
And in their shades his sweating limbes display:
 There in the cooling glade he softly paces,
 And much delighted with their even spaces,
 What in himselfe he scorn'd, hee prais'd their kinde imbraces.

2

The Woode with Paphian mirtles peopled,
(Whose springing youth felt never Winters spiting)
To laurels sweete were sweetely married,
Doubling their pleasing smels in their uniting,
When single much, much more when mixt delighting:
 No foote of beast durst touch this hallowed place,
 And many a boy that long'd the woods to trace,
 Entred with feare, but soone turn'd back his frighted face.

3

The thicke-lockt bowes shut out the tell-tale Sunne,
(For Venus hated his all blabbing light,
Since her knowne fault which oft she wisht undone)
And scattered rayes did make a doubtfull sight,
Like to the first of day, or last of night:
 The fittest light for Lovers gentle play;
 Such light best shewes the wandring lovers way,
 And guides his erring hand: Night is loves holly-day.

4

So farre in this sweete Labyrinth he stray'd,
That now he viewes the Garden of delight;
Whose breast, with thousand painted flowers array'd,
With divers joy captiv'd his wandring sight;
But soone the eyes rendred the eares their right:
 For such strange harmony he seem'd to heare,
 That all his senses flockt into his eare,
 And every faculty wisht to be seated there.

5

From a close Bower this dainty Musique flow'd,
A Bower appareld round with divers Roses
Both red and white; which by their liveries show'd
Their Mistris faire, that there her selfe reposes:
Seem'd that would strive with those rare Musique clozes,
 By spreading their faire bosomes to the light,
 Which the distracted sense should most delight;
 That, raps the melted eare; this, both the smel & sight.

6

The Boy 'twixt fearefull hope, and wishing feare,
Crept all along (for much he long'd to see
The Bower, much more the guest so lodged there)
And as he goes, he markes how well agree
Nature and arte in discord unity:
 Each striving who should best performe his part,
 Yet arte now helping nature; nature arte:
 While from his eares a voyce thus stole [into] his heart.

7

Fond men, whose wretched care the life soone ending,
By striving to i[n]crease your joy, do spend it;
And spending joy, yet find no joy in spending:
You hurt your life by striving to amend it,
And seeking to prolong it, soonest end it:
 Than while fit time affords thee time and leasure,
 Enjoy while yet thou mayst thy lifes sweet pleasure:
 Too foolish is the man that starves to feed his treasure:

8

Love is lifes end (an end but never ending)
All joyes, all sweetes, all happinesse awarding:
Love is life[s] wealth (nere spent, but ever spending)
More rich, by giving, taking by discarding:
Love's lifes reward, rewarded in rewarding,
 Then from thy wretched heart fond care remoove;
 Ah should thou live but once loves sweetes to proove,
 Thou wilt not love to live, unlesse thou live to love.

9

To this sweete voyce, a dainty musique fitted
Its well-tun'd strings; and to her notes consorted:
And while with skilfull voyce the song she dittied,
The blabbing Echo had her words retorted;
That now the Boy, beyond his soule transported,
 Through all his limbes feeles run a pleasant shaking,
 And twixt a hope & feare suspects mistaking,
 And doubts he sleeping dreames, & broad awake feares waking.