Perchance
as torches which must ready bee,
Men light and put out, so thou deal'st with mee,
Thou cam'st to kindle, goest to come; Then I
Will dreame that hope againe, but else would die.
Men light and put out, so thou deal'st with mee,
Thou cam'st to kindle, goest to come; Then I
Will dreame that hope againe, but else would die.
John Donne
Are birds divorc'd, or are they chidden 10
If they leave their mate, or lie abroad a night?
Beasts doe no joyntures lose
Though they new lovers choose,
But we are made worse then those.
Who e'r rigg'd faire ship to lie in harbors, 15
And not to seeke new lands, or not to deale withall?
Or built faire houses, set trees, and arbors,
Only to lock up, or else to let them fall?
Good is not good, unlesse
A thousand it possesse, 20
But doth wast with greedinesse.
[Confined Love _1635-69:_ _no title_, _1633_, _A18_, _B_, _D_,
_H49_, _JC_, _L74_, _Lec_, _N_, _O'F_, _TCC_, _TCD:_ To the
worthiest of all my lovers. _Cy:_ To the of all my loves my
virtuous mistriss. _P_]
[3 his] this _1669_
lesser] the lesser _A18_, _Cy_, _JC_, _P_]
[6 might _1633-69:_ should _B_, _Cy_, _D_, _H49_, _JC_, _L74_,
_Lec_, _O'F_, _S_, _TC_]
[9 lend] bend _1669_]
[11 mate, _1633-39:_ meate, _1650:_ meat, _1669_
a night (_i. e. _ a-night) _1633-54:_ all night _1669_]
[12 Beasts] Beast _1635_]
[15 ship] ships _1669_, _Chambers_]
[16 seeke new lands _1633-35 and MSS. :_ seeke lands _1639-69_,
_Chambers, whose note is incorrect_
withall _1633:_ with all _1635-69_]
[17 built _1633-35:_ build _1639-69_]
_The Dreame. _
Deare love, for nothing lesse then thee
Would I have broke this happy dreame,
It was a theame
For reason, much too strong for phantasie,
Therefore thou wakd'st me wisely; yet 5
My Dreame thou brok'st not, but continued'st it,
Thou art so truth, that thoughts of thee suffice,
To make dreames truths; and fables histories;
Enter these armes, for since thou thoughtst it best,
Not to dreame all my dreame, let's act the rest. 10
As lightning, or a Tapers light,
Thine eyes, and not thy noise wak'd mee;
Yet I thought thee
(For thou lovest truth) an Angell, at first sight,
But when I saw thou sawest my heart, 15
And knew'st my thoughts, beyond an Angels art,
When thou knew'st what I dreamt, when thou knew'st when
Excesse of joy would wake me, and cam'st then,
I must confesse, it could not chuse but bee
Prophane, to thinke thee any thing but thee. 20
Comming and staying show'd thee, thee,
But rising makes me doubt, that now,
Thou art not thou.
That love is weake, where feare's as strong as hee;
'Tis not all spirit, pure, and brave, 25
If mixture it of _Feare_, _Shame_, _Honor_, have.
Perchance as torches which must ready bee,
Men light and put out, so thou deal'st with mee,
Thou cam'st to kindle, goest to come; Then I
Will dreame that hope againe, but else would die. 30
[The Dreame. _1633-69:_ _do. or similarly_, _A18_, _A25_, _B_,
_C_, _Cy_, _D_, _H49_, _L74_, _Lec_, _N_, _O'F_, _P_, _RP31_,
_S_, _S96_, _TCC_, _TCD_]
[6 brok'st . . . continued'st] breakest . . . continuest _1669_,
_A25_, _C_, _P_, _S_]
[7 so truth, _1633_, _A18_, _D_, _H49_, _L74_, _Lec_, _N_,
_TC:_ so true, _1635-69_, _A25_, _B_, _C_, _Cy_, _O'F_, _P_,
_S_. _See note_]
[10 act] doe _A25_, _B_, _Cy_, _D_, _H49_, _L74_, _Lec_,
_O'F_, _P_, _S_, _S96_]
[14 an Angell,] but an Angell, _A18_, _D_, _H49_, _L74_,
_Lec_, _N_, _TC_]
[16 thoughts,] _om. comma Grolier and Chambers_. _See Note_]
[17 then thou knew'st when _1669_]
[19 must] doe _A18_, _A25_, _B_, _Cy_, _D_, _H49_, _Lec_, _N_,
_O'F_, _P_, _TC_]
[20 Prophane,] Profaness _A18_, _D_, _H49_, _L74_, _Lec_, _N_,
_S96_, _TC_]
[24 feare's as strong _1635-54_, _A18_, _D_, _H49_, _L74_,
_Lec_, _TCC:_ feares are strong _1669_, _B_, _Cy_, _O'F_, _P_,
_S_, _S96:_ feare is strong, _N_, _TCD_]
[26 have. _1669:_ have; _1633-54_]
[29 cam'st] com'st _1669_
Then I] Thus I _A18_, _D_, _H49_, _L74_, _Lec_, _N_, _TC_
(_RP31 agrees with this group throughout_)]
_A Valediction: of weeping. _
Let me powre forth
My teares before thy face, whil'st I stay here,
For thy face coines them, and thy stampe they beare,
And by this Mintage they are something worth,
For thus they bee 5
Pregnant of thee;
Fruits of much griefe they are, emblemes of more,
When a teare falls, that thou falst which it bore,
So thou and I are nothing then, when on a divers shore.
On a round ball 10
A workeman that hath copies by, can lay
An Europe, Afrique, and an Asia,
And quickly make that, which was nothing, _All_,
So doth each teare,
Which thee doth weare, 15
A globe, yea world by that impression grow,
Till thy teares mixt with mine doe overflow
This world, by waters sent from thee, my heaven dissolved so.