When by thy scorne, O murdresse, I am dead,
And that thou thinkst thee free
From all solicitation from mee,
Then shall my ghost come to thy bed,
And thee, fain'd vestall, in worse armes shall see; 5
Then thy sicke taper will begin to winke,
And he, whose thou art then, being tyr'd before,
Will, if thou stirre, or pinch to wake him, thinke
Thou call'st for more,
And in false sleepe will from thee shrinke, 10
And then poore Aspen wretch,
neglected
thou
Bath'd in a cold quicksilver sweat wilt lye
A veryer ghost then I;
What I will say, I will not tell thee now,
Lest that preserve thee'; and since my love is spent, 15
I'had rather thou shouldst painfully repent,
Then by my threatnings rest still innocent.
John Donne
When thou wilt swimme in that live bath,
Each fish, which every channell hath, 10
Will amorously to thee swimme,
Gladder to catch thee, then thou him.
If thou, to be so seene, beest loath,
By Sunne, or Moone, thou darknest both,
And if my selfe have leave to see, 15
I need not their light, having thee.
Let others freeze with angling reeds,
And cut their legges, with shells and weeds,
Or treacherously poore fish beset,
With strangling snare, or windowie net: 20
Let coarse bold hands, from slimy nest
The bedded fish in banks out-wrest,
Or curious traitors, sleavesilke flies
Bewitch poore fishes wandring eyes.
For thee, thou needst no such deceit, 25
For thou thy selfe art thine owne bait;
That fish, that is not catch'd thereby,
Alas, is wiser farre then I.
[The Baite. _1635-69:_ _no title_, _1633:_ Song. _or no
title_, _D_, _H49_, _JC_, _Lec_, _O'F_, _P_, _S96_, _Walton's_
Compleate Angler: _Fourth Day:_ _Chap. XII.:_ Songs that were
made _&c._ (_vid. sup. p._ 18) _A18_, _N_, _TCC_, _TCD_]
[2 some new] all the _P_]
[3 brookes, _Ed:_ brookes: _1633-69_]
[5 whispering _1633:_ whispring _1635-69_]
[6 thy] thine _1669_, _A18_, _N_, _TC_]
[7 inamor'd] enamelled _Walton_
stay] play _1669_]
[11 to] unto _JC_, _O'F_, _P:_ to see _N:_ Most amoroussly to
thee will swim _Walton_]
[15 my selfe] mine eyes _Walton:_ my heart _A18_, _N_, _TC_]
[18 with] which _1633_]
[20 snare,] snares, _Walton_
windowie] winding _1669_. _See note_]
[23 Or _1633-69:_ Let _Walton_
sleavesilke _1635:_ sleave silke _1639-69 and Walton:_
sleavesicke _1633_]
[24 To witch poor wandring fishes eyes. _Walton_]
[25 thou needst] there needs _D_, _H49_, _Lec_, _S96_]
When by thy scorne, O murdresse, I am dead,
And that thou thinkst thee free
From all solicitation from mee,
Then shall my ghost come to thy bed,
And thee, fain'd vestall, in worse armes shall see; 5
Then thy sicke taper will begin to winke,
And he, whose thou art then, being tyr'd before,
Will, if thou stirre, or pinch to wake him, thinke
Thou call'st for more,
And in false sleepe will from thee shrinke, 10
And then poore Aspen wretch,
neglected
thou
Bath'd in a cold quicksilver sweat wilt lye
A veryer ghost then I;
What I will say, I will not tell thee now,
Lest that preserve thee'; and since my love is spent, 15
I'had rather thou shouldst painfully repent,
Then by my threatnings rest still innocent.
[10 in false sleepe will from _1633_, _Cy_, _D_, _H49_, _Lec_,
_S:_ in false sleepe from _1635-54:_ in a false sleepe even
from _1669:_ in a false sleepe from _A25_, _P:_ in a false
sleepe will from _A18_, _N_, _TC_]
He is starke mad, who ever sayes,
That he hath beene in love an houre,
Yet not that love so soone decayes,
But that it can tenne in lesse space devour;
Who will beleeve mee, if I sweare 5
That I have had the plague a yeare?
Who would not laugh at mee, if I should say,
I saw a flaske of _powder burne a day_?
