No More Learning

And I should be in the hott parching clyme,
To dust and ashes turn'd before my time. 20
To mew me in a Ship, is to inthrall
Mee in a prison, that weare like to fall;
Or in a Cloyster; save that there men dwell
In a calme heaven, here in a swaggering hell.
Long voyages are long consumptions, 25
And ships are carts for executions.
Yea they are Deaths; Is't not all one to flye
Into an other World, as t'is to dye?
Here let mee warr; in these armes lett mee lye;
Here lett mee parlee, batter, bleede, and dye. 30
Thyne armes imprison me, and myne armes thee;
Thy hart thy ransome is; take myne for mee.
Other men war that they their rest may gayne;
But wee will rest that wee may fight agayne.
Those warrs the ignorant, these th'experienc'd love, 35
There wee are alwayes under, here above.
There Engins farr off breed a just true feare,
Neere thrusts, pikes, stabs, yea bullets hurt not here.
There lyes are wrongs; here safe uprightly lye;
There men kill men, we'will make one by and by. 40
Thou nothing; I not halfe so much shall do
In these Warrs, as they may which from us two
Shall spring. Thousands wee see which travaile not
To warrs; But stay swords, armes, and shott
To make at home; And shall not I do then 45
More glorious service, staying to make men?


[Elegy XX _&c. _ _Ed: First published in F. G.
Waldron's_ A
Collection of Miscellaneous Poetry, 1802, _from a MS. dated
1625; then by Sir J. Simeon in his_ Philobiblon Society
_volume of 1856. It is included among Donne's_ Elegies _in
A18, A25, B, Cy, D, H49, JC, L74, Lec, N, O'F, P, S, S96, TCC,
TCD, W. In B it has the title_ Making of Men. _The present
text is based on W_]

[7 all _A18_, _B_, _Cy_, _D_, _H49_, _L74_, _Lec_, _O'F_, _S_,
_S96_, _TC_, _W:_ most _JC_, _Chambers_]

[8 They beare most blows which (_or_ that) _A18_, _B_, _D_,
_H49_, _JC_, _L74_, _Lec_, _S_, _S96_, _TC_, _W:_ They must
bear blows, which _Chambers_]

[9 giddiness] guidings _Sim:_ giddinge _Wald_]

[11 well,] well _W_]

[13 a strange] straying _Sim_]

[16 head] dead _Sim_]

[19 the _A18_, _B_, _Cy_, _D_, _H49_, _N_, _S_, _S96_, _TC_,
_W:_ that _Chambers_, _A25_, _JC_, _L74_, _O'F_]

[24 swaggering] swaying _Chambers_]

[25 consumptions,] consumptions _W:_ _line omitted_, _Wald_]

[29 lye] _spelt_ ly

_W:_ _and so_ 30 dy]

[33 gayne;] gayne _W_]

[37 There] These _Sim_

and, that, with, which] _contracted throughout_, _W_]




HEROICALL EPISTLE.


_Sapho_ to _Philaenis_.

Where is that holy fire, which _Verse_ is said
To have? is that inchanting force decai'd?
_Verse_ that drawes _Natures_ workes, from _Natures_ law,
Thee, her best worke, to her worke cannot draw.
Have my teares quench'd my old _Poetique_ fire; 5
Why quench'd they not as well, that of _desire_?
Thoughts, my mindes creatures, often are with thee,
But I, their maker, want their libertie.
Onely thine image, in my heart, doth sit,
But that is waxe, and fires environ it. 10
My fires have driven, thine have drawne it hence;
And I am rob'd of _Picture_, _Heart_, and _Sense_.
Dwells with me still mine irksome _Memory_,
Which, both to keepe, and lose, grieves equally.
That tells me'how faire thou art: Thou art so faire, 15
As, _gods_, when _gods_ to thee I doe compare,
Are grac'd thereby; And to make blinde men see,
What things _gods_ are, I say they'are like to thee.