By just
occasion?
Spenser - Faerie Queene - 1
135
XVI
The woodborne people fall before her flat,
And worship her as Goddesse of the wood;
And old Sylvanus selfe bethinkes not, what
To thinke of wight so faire, but gazing stood,
In doubt to deeme her borne of earthly brood; 140
Sometimes Dame Venus selfe he seemes to see,
But Venus never had so sober mood;
Sometimes Diana he her takes to bee,
But misseth bow, and shaftes, and buskins to her knee.
XVII
By vew of her he ginneth to revive 145
His ancient love, and dearest Cyparisse,?
And calles to mind his pourtraiture alive,
How faire he was, and yet not faire to this,?
And how he slew with glauncing dart amisse
A gentle Hynd, the which the lovely boy 150
Did love as life, above all worldly blisse;
For griefe whereof the lad n'ould after joy,?
But pynd away in anguish and selfe-wild annoy. ?
XVIII
The wooddy Nymphes, faire Hamadryades,?
Her to behold do thither runne apace, 155
And all the troupe of light-foot Naiades?
Flocke all about to see her lovely face:
But when they vewed have her heavenly grace,
They envy her in their malitious mind,
And fly away for feare of fowle disgrace: 160
But all the Satyres scorne their woody kind,?
And henceforth nothing faire but her on earth they find.
XIX
Glad of such lucke, the luckelesse? lucky maid,
Did her content to please their feeble eyes,
And long time with that salvage people staid, 165
To gather breath in many miseries.
During which time her gentle wit she plyes,
To teach them truth, which worshipt her in vaine,
And made her th' Image of Idolatryes? ;
But when their bootlesse zeale she did restraine 170
From her own worship, they her Asse would worship fayn.
XX
It fortuned a noble warlike knight?
By just occasion? to that forrest came,
To seeke his kindred, and the lignage right,
From whence he tooke his well deserved name: 175
He had in armes abroad wonne muchell fame,
And fild far lands with glorie of his might,
Plaine, faithfull, true, and enimy of shame,
And ever lov'd to fight for Ladies right:
But in vaine glorious frayes he litle did delight. 180
XXI
A Satyres sonne yborne in forrest wyld,
By straunge adventure as it did betyde,
And there begotten of a Lady myld,
Faire Thyamis? the daughter of Labryde,
That was in sacred bands of wedlocke tyde 185
To Therion, a loose unruly swayne;
Who had more joy to raunge the forrest wyde,
And chase the salvage beast with busie payne,
Then serve his Ladies love, and wast in pleasures vayne.
XXII
The forlorne mayd did with loves longing burne 190
And could not lacke her lovers company,
But to the wood she goes, to serve her turne,
And seeke her spouse that from her still does fly,
And followes other game and venery:
A Satyre chaunst her wandring for to finde, 195
* * * * *
And made her person thrall unto his beastly kind.
XXIII
So long in secret cabin there he held
* * * * *
Then home he suffred her for to retyre,
For ransome leaving him the late borne childe;
Whom till to ryper yeares he gan aspire, 200
He noursled up in life and manners wilde,
Emongst wild beasts and woods, from lawes of men exilde.
XXIV
For all he taught the tender ymp, was but?
To banish cowardize and bastard feare;
His trembling hand he would him force to put 205
Upon the Lyon and the rugged Beare;
And from the she Beares teats her whelps to teare;
And eke wyld roaring Buls he would him make
To tame, and ryde their backes not made to beare;
And the Robuckes in flight to overtake, 210
That every beast for feare of him did fly and quake.
XXV
Thereby so fearlesse, and so fell he grew,
That his owne sire and maister of his guise?
Did often tremble at his horrid vew,?
And oft for dread of hurt would him advise, 215
The angry beasts not rashly to despise,
Nor too much to provoke; for he would learne
The Lyon stoup to him in lowly wise,
(A lesson hard) and make the Libbard sterne
Leave roaring, when in rage he for revenge did earne. 220
XXVI
And for to make his powre approved more,
Wyld beasts in yron yokes he would compell;
The spotted Panther, and the tusked Bore,
The Pardale swift, and the tigre cruell,
The Antelope, and Wolfe both fierce and fell; 225
And them constraine in equall teme to draw.
Such joy he had, their stubborne harts to quell,
And sturdie courage tame with dreadfull aw,
That his beheast they feared, as a tyrans law.
XXVII
His loving mother came upon a day 230
Unto the woods, to see her little sonne;
And chaunst unwares to meet him in the way,
After his sportes, and cruell pastime donne;
When after him a Lyonesse did runne,
That roaring all with rage, did lowd requere 235
Her children deare, whom he away had wonne:
The Lyon whelpes she saw how he did beare,
And lull in rugged armes, withouten childish feare.
XXVIII
The fearefull Dame all quaked at the sight,
And turning backe, gan fast to fly away, 240
Untill with love revokt from vaine affright,
She hardly yet perswaded was to stay,
And then to him these womanish words gan say;
Ah Satyrane, my dearling, and my joy,
For love of me leave off this dreadfull play; 245
To dally thus with death is no fit toy,
Go find some other play-fellowes, mine own sweet boy.
XXIX
In these and like delights of bloudy game
He trayned was, till ryper yeares he raught;
And there abode, whilst any beast of name 250
Walkt in that forest, whom he had not taught
To feare his force: and then his courage haught
Desird of forreine foemen to be knowne,
And far abroad for straunge adventures sought;
In which his might was never overthrowne; 255
But through all Faery lond his famous worth was blown.
XVI
The woodborne people fall before her flat,
And worship her as Goddesse of the wood;
And old Sylvanus selfe bethinkes not, what
To thinke of wight so faire, but gazing stood,
In doubt to deeme her borne of earthly brood; 140
Sometimes Dame Venus selfe he seemes to see,
But Venus never had so sober mood;
Sometimes Diana he her takes to bee,
But misseth bow, and shaftes, and buskins to her knee.
XVII
By vew of her he ginneth to revive 145
His ancient love, and dearest Cyparisse,?
And calles to mind his pourtraiture alive,
How faire he was, and yet not faire to this,?
And how he slew with glauncing dart amisse
A gentle Hynd, the which the lovely boy 150
Did love as life, above all worldly blisse;
For griefe whereof the lad n'ould after joy,?
But pynd away in anguish and selfe-wild annoy. ?
XVIII
The wooddy Nymphes, faire Hamadryades,?
Her to behold do thither runne apace, 155
And all the troupe of light-foot Naiades?
Flocke all about to see her lovely face:
But when they vewed have her heavenly grace,
They envy her in their malitious mind,
And fly away for feare of fowle disgrace: 160
But all the Satyres scorne their woody kind,?
And henceforth nothing faire but her on earth they find.
XIX
Glad of such lucke, the luckelesse? lucky maid,
Did her content to please their feeble eyes,
And long time with that salvage people staid, 165
To gather breath in many miseries.
During which time her gentle wit she plyes,
To teach them truth, which worshipt her in vaine,
And made her th' Image of Idolatryes? ;
But when their bootlesse zeale she did restraine 170
From her own worship, they her Asse would worship fayn.
XX
It fortuned a noble warlike knight?
By just occasion? to that forrest came,
To seeke his kindred, and the lignage right,
From whence he tooke his well deserved name: 175
He had in armes abroad wonne muchell fame,
And fild far lands with glorie of his might,
Plaine, faithfull, true, and enimy of shame,
And ever lov'd to fight for Ladies right:
But in vaine glorious frayes he litle did delight. 180
XXI
A Satyres sonne yborne in forrest wyld,
By straunge adventure as it did betyde,
And there begotten of a Lady myld,
Faire Thyamis? the daughter of Labryde,
That was in sacred bands of wedlocke tyde 185
To Therion, a loose unruly swayne;
Who had more joy to raunge the forrest wyde,
And chase the salvage beast with busie payne,
Then serve his Ladies love, and wast in pleasures vayne.
XXII
The forlorne mayd did with loves longing burne 190
And could not lacke her lovers company,
But to the wood she goes, to serve her turne,
And seeke her spouse that from her still does fly,
And followes other game and venery:
A Satyre chaunst her wandring for to finde, 195
* * * * *
And made her person thrall unto his beastly kind.
XXIII
So long in secret cabin there he held
* * * * *
Then home he suffred her for to retyre,
For ransome leaving him the late borne childe;
Whom till to ryper yeares he gan aspire, 200
He noursled up in life and manners wilde,
Emongst wild beasts and woods, from lawes of men exilde.
XXIV
For all he taught the tender ymp, was but?
To banish cowardize and bastard feare;
His trembling hand he would him force to put 205
Upon the Lyon and the rugged Beare;
And from the she Beares teats her whelps to teare;
And eke wyld roaring Buls he would him make
To tame, and ryde their backes not made to beare;
And the Robuckes in flight to overtake, 210
That every beast for feare of him did fly and quake.
XXV
Thereby so fearlesse, and so fell he grew,
That his owne sire and maister of his guise?
Did often tremble at his horrid vew,?
And oft for dread of hurt would him advise, 215
The angry beasts not rashly to despise,
Nor too much to provoke; for he would learne
The Lyon stoup to him in lowly wise,
(A lesson hard) and make the Libbard sterne
Leave roaring, when in rage he for revenge did earne. 220
XXVI
And for to make his powre approved more,
Wyld beasts in yron yokes he would compell;
The spotted Panther, and the tusked Bore,
The Pardale swift, and the tigre cruell,
The Antelope, and Wolfe both fierce and fell; 225
And them constraine in equall teme to draw.
Such joy he had, their stubborne harts to quell,
And sturdie courage tame with dreadfull aw,
That his beheast they feared, as a tyrans law.
XXVII
His loving mother came upon a day 230
Unto the woods, to see her little sonne;
And chaunst unwares to meet him in the way,
After his sportes, and cruell pastime donne;
When after him a Lyonesse did runne,
That roaring all with rage, did lowd requere 235
Her children deare, whom he away had wonne:
The Lyon whelpes she saw how he did beare,
And lull in rugged armes, withouten childish feare.
XXVIII
The fearefull Dame all quaked at the sight,
And turning backe, gan fast to fly away, 240
Untill with love revokt from vaine affright,
She hardly yet perswaded was to stay,
And then to him these womanish words gan say;
Ah Satyrane, my dearling, and my joy,
For love of me leave off this dreadfull play; 245
To dally thus with death is no fit toy,
Go find some other play-fellowes, mine own sweet boy.
XXIX
In these and like delights of bloudy game
He trayned was, till ryper yeares he raught;
And there abode, whilst any beast of name 250
Walkt in that forest, whom he had not taught
To feare his force: and then his courage haught
Desird of forreine foemen to be knowne,
And far abroad for straunge adventures sought;
In which his might was never overthrowne; 255
But through all Faery lond his famous worth was blown.
