Classic Poem

STREPHON .

Ye gote-heard Gods, that loue the grassie mountaines;
Ye Nymphs, that haunt the springs in pleasant vallies;
Ye Satyrs, ioy'd with free and quiet forrests, —
Vouchsafe your silent eares to plaining musicke,
Which to my woes giue still an early morning,
And drawes the dolor on till weary euening.

KLAIUS .

O Mercurie, foregoer to the euening;
O heauenly huntresse of the sauage mountaines;
O louely star, entitled of the morning, —
While that my voyce doth fill these wofull vallies,
Vouchsafe your silent eares to plaining musicke,
Which oft hath Echo tyr'd in secret forrests.

STREPHON .

I, that was once free burgesse of the forrests,
Where shade from sunne, and sports I sought at euening;
I, that was once esteem'd for pleasant musicke,
Am banisht now among the monstrous mountaines
Of huge despaire and foule affliction's vallies,
Am growne a shrich-owle to my selfe each morning

KLAIUS .

I, that was once delighted euery morning,
Hunting the wilde inhabiters of the forrests;
I, that was once the musicke of these vallies,
So darkened am, that all my day is euening,
Hart-broken so, that molehilles seeme high mountaines,
And fill the vales with cries in stead of musicke.

STREPHON .

Long since, alas, my deadly swannish musicke
Hath made itselfe a crier of the morning,
And hath with wailing strength clim'd highest mountaines;
Long since my thoughts more desert be than forrests;
Long since I see my ioyes come to their euening,
And state throwne downe to ouertroden vallies.

KLAIUS .

Long since the happie dwellers of these vallies
Haue pray'd me leaue my straunge exclaiming musicke
Which troubles their daye's worke and ioyes of euening;
Long since I hate the night, more hate the morning;
Long since my thoughts chase me like beasts in forrests,
And make me wish my selfe laide vnder mountaines.

STREPHON .

Meseemes I see the high and stately mountaines
Transforme themselues to low deiected vallies;
Meseemes I heare in these ill-changed forrests
The nightingales doe learne of owles their musike:
Meseemes I feele the comfort of the morning
Turn'd to the mortall serene of an euening.

KLAIUS .

Meseemes I see a filthy-cloudie euening,
As soone as sunne begins to climbe the mountaines;
Meseemes I feele a noysome sent, the morning
When I doo smell the flowers of these vallies;
Meseemes I heare, when I doo heare sweet musicke,
The dreadfull cries of murdered men in forrests.

STREPHON .

I wish to fire the trees of all those forrests;
I giue the sunne a last farewell each euening;
I curse the fidling finders out of musicke;
With enuie I doo hate the loftie mountaines,
And with despite despise the humble vallies;
I doo detest night, euening, day, and morning.

KLAIUS .

Curse, to my selfe my praier is, the morning;
My fire is more then can be made with forrests;
My state more base then are the basest vallies;
I wish no euenings more to see, each euening;
Shamed I hate my selfe in sight of mountaines,
And stop mine eares, lest I grow mad with musicke.

STREPHON .

For she whose parts maintainde a perfect musicke,
Whose beautie shin'd more then the blushing morning,
Who much did 'passe in state the stately mountaines,
In straightnesse past the cedars of the forrests,
Hath cast me, wretch, into eternall euening,
By taking her two sunnes from these darke vallies.

KLAIUS .

For she to whome compar'd the Alps are vallies,
She whose least word brings from the spheares their musick,
At whose approach the sunne rose in the euening,
Who where she went bare in her forehead morning,
Is gone, is gone from these our spoyled forrests,
Turning to desarts our best-pastur'd mountaines.

STREPHON .

These mountaines witnesse shall, so shall these vallies,
These forrests eke, made wretched by our musicke,

KLAIUS .

Our morning hymne is this, and song at euening.