But I am by her death, (which word wrongs her)
Of the first nothing, the Elixer grown;
Were I a man, that I were one, 30
I needs must know; I should preferre,
If I were any beast,
Some ends, some means; Yea plants, yea stones detest,
And love; All, all some properties invest;
If I an ordinary nothing were, 35
As shadow, a light, and body must be here.
Of the first nothing, the Elixer grown;
Were I a man, that I were one, 30
I needs must know; I should preferre,
If I were any beast,
Some ends, some means; Yea plants, yea stones detest,
And love; All, all some properties invest;
If I an ordinary nothing were, 35
As shadow, a light, and body must be here.
John Donne
_1635-69:_ _no title_, _1633:_ Song.
_or no
title_, _A25_, _B_, _Cy_, _D_, _H49_, _JC_, _Lec_, _O'F_, _S_,
_S96:_ Sonnet. _P:_ Songes w^{ch} were made to _&c. _ (_vid.
sup. _ _p. _ 18) _A18_, _N_, _TCC_, _TCD_]
[2 thee; _Ed:_ thee, _1633-69_]
[3 But if they there _1669_, _S_]
[10 staine;] staine, _1633-69_]
[11 But _1635-69:_ Which _1633_, _A18_, _A25_, _D_, _H49_,
_Lec_, _N_, _TC_]
[14 crosse, _A18_, _A25_, _B_, _Cy_, _D_, _H49_, _JC_, _Lec_,
_N_, _O'F_, _P_, _S_, _S96_, _TC:_ breake _1633-69_]
[16 Keep it still 'tis _1669_]
[19 And may laugh, when that Thou _D_, _H49_, _Lec_]
[24 art now. ] dost now. _1669_]
_A nocturnall upon S. _ Lucies _day,_
_Being the shortest day. _
Tis the yeares midnight, and it is the dayes,
_Lucies_, who scarce seaven houres herself unmaskes,
The Sunne is spent, and now his flasks
Send forth light squibs, no constant rayes;
The worlds whole sap is sunke: 5
The generall balme th'hydroptique earth hath drunk,
Whither, as to the beds-feet, life is shrunke,
Dead and enterr'd; yet all these seeme to laugh,
Compar'd with mee, who am their Epitaph.
Study me then, you who shall lovers bee 10
At the next world, that is, at the next Spring:
For I am every dead thing,
In whom love wrought new Alchimie.
For his art did expresse
A quintessence even from nothingnesse, 15
From dull privations, and leane emptinesse:
He ruin'd mee, and I am re-begot
Of absence, darknesse, death; things which are not.
All others, from all things, draw all that's good,
Life, soule, forme, spirit, whence they beeing have; 20
I, by loves limbecke, am the grave
Of all, that's nothing. Oft a flood
Have wee two wept, and so
Drownd the whole world, us two; oft did we grow
To be two Chaosses, when we did show 25
Care to ought else; and often absences
Withdrew our soules, and made us carcasses.
But I am by her death, (which word wrongs her)
Of the first nothing, the Elixer grown;
Were I a man, that I were one, 30
I needs must know; I should preferre,
If I were any beast,
Some ends, some means; Yea plants, yea stones detest,
And love; All, all some properties invest;
If I an ordinary nothing were, 35
As shadow, a light, and body must be here.
But I am None; nor will my Sunne renew.
You lovers, for whose sake, the lesser Sunne
At this time to the Goat is runne
To fetch new lust, and give it you, 40
Enjoy your summer all;
Since shee enjoyes her long nights festivall,
Let mee prepare towards her, and let mee call
This houre her Vigill, and her Eve, since this
Both the yeares, and the dayes deep midnight is. 45
[A nocturnal _&c. _ _1633-69_, _A18_, _N_, _O'F_, _TCC_, _TCD_]
[7 beds-feet,] beds-feet _1633-69_]
[12 every _1633_, _A18_, _N_, _O'F_ (_altered to_ a very),
_TC:_ a very _1635-69_]
[16 emptinesse: _1719:_ emptinesse; _Chambers and Grolier:_
emptinesse _1633-54:_ emptinesse, _1669_. _See note_]
[20 have; _Ed:_ have, _1633-69_. ]
[31 know;] know, _1633_]
[32 beast,] beast; _Grolier_]
[34 love; All, all _Ed:_ love, all, all _1633-69_
invest; _Ed:_ invest, _1633:_ invest _1635-69_]
[37 renew. _1633:_ renew, _1635-69_]
[41 all; _Ed:_ all, _1633-69 and Chambers, who places a full
stop after_ festivall]
[44 Eve, _1650-69:_ eve, _1633-39_]
_Witchcraft by a picture. _
I fixe mine eye on thine, and there
Pitty my picture burning in thine eye,
My picture drown'd in a transparent teare,
When I looke lower I espie;
Hadst thou the wicked skill 5
By pictures made and mard, to kill,
How many wayes mightst thou performe thy will?
But now I have drunke thy sweet salt teares,
And though thou poure more I'll depart;
My picture vanish'd, vanish feares, 10
That I can be endamag'd by that art;
Though thou retaine of mee
One picture more, yet that will bee,
Being in thine owne heart, from all malice free.
[Witchcraft _&c. _ _1633-69_, _A18_, _N_, _TCC_, _TCD:_ The
Picture. _or_ Picture. _Cy_, _JC_, _O'F_, _P_, _S96:_ A Songe.
_B_]
[4 espie; _Ed:_ espie, _1633-69_]
[6 to kill, _Ed:_ to kill? _1633-39:_ to kill; _1650-69_]
[9 And though] Although _1669_ And though thou therefore poure
more will depart; _B_, _H40_]
[10 vanish'd, vanish feares, _1633_, _A18_, _B_, _Cy_, _H40_,
_JC_, _N_, _P_, _S96_, _TC:_ vanished, vanish all feares
_1635-54_, _O'F:_ vanish, vanish fears, _1669_]
[11 that] thy _JC_, _O'F_, _S96_]
[14 all] thy _B_, _H40_, _S96_]
_The Baite.
title_, _A25_, _B_, _Cy_, _D_, _H49_, _JC_, _Lec_, _O'F_, _S_,
_S96:_ Sonnet. _P:_ Songes w^{ch} were made to _&c. _ (_vid.
sup. _ _p. _ 18) _A18_, _N_, _TCC_, _TCD_]
[2 thee; _Ed:_ thee, _1633-69_]
[3 But if they there _1669_, _S_]
[10 staine;] staine, _1633-69_]
[11 But _1635-69:_ Which _1633_, _A18_, _A25_, _D_, _H49_,
_Lec_, _N_, _TC_]
[14 crosse, _A18_, _A25_, _B_, _Cy_, _D_, _H49_, _JC_, _Lec_,
_N_, _O'F_, _P_, _S_, _S96_, _TC:_ breake _1633-69_]
[16 Keep it still 'tis _1669_]
[19 And may laugh, when that Thou _D_, _H49_, _Lec_]
[24 art now. ] dost now. _1669_]
_A nocturnall upon S. _ Lucies _day,_
_Being the shortest day. _
Tis the yeares midnight, and it is the dayes,
_Lucies_, who scarce seaven houres herself unmaskes,
The Sunne is spent, and now his flasks
Send forth light squibs, no constant rayes;
The worlds whole sap is sunke: 5
The generall balme th'hydroptique earth hath drunk,
Whither, as to the beds-feet, life is shrunke,
Dead and enterr'd; yet all these seeme to laugh,
Compar'd with mee, who am their Epitaph.
Study me then, you who shall lovers bee 10
At the next world, that is, at the next Spring:
For I am every dead thing,
In whom love wrought new Alchimie.
For his art did expresse
A quintessence even from nothingnesse, 15
From dull privations, and leane emptinesse:
He ruin'd mee, and I am re-begot
Of absence, darknesse, death; things which are not.
All others, from all things, draw all that's good,
Life, soule, forme, spirit, whence they beeing have; 20
I, by loves limbecke, am the grave
Of all, that's nothing. Oft a flood
Have wee two wept, and so
Drownd the whole world, us two; oft did we grow
To be two Chaosses, when we did show 25
Care to ought else; and often absences
Withdrew our soules, and made us carcasses.
But I am by her death, (which word wrongs her)
Of the first nothing, the Elixer grown;
Were I a man, that I were one, 30
I needs must know; I should preferre,
If I were any beast,
Some ends, some means; Yea plants, yea stones detest,
And love; All, all some properties invest;
If I an ordinary nothing were, 35
As shadow, a light, and body must be here.
But I am None; nor will my Sunne renew.
You lovers, for whose sake, the lesser Sunne
At this time to the Goat is runne
To fetch new lust, and give it you, 40
Enjoy your summer all;
Since shee enjoyes her long nights festivall,
Let mee prepare towards her, and let mee call
This houre her Vigill, and her Eve, since this
Both the yeares, and the dayes deep midnight is. 45
[A nocturnal _&c. _ _1633-69_, _A18_, _N_, _O'F_, _TCC_, _TCD_]
[7 beds-feet,] beds-feet _1633-69_]
[12 every _1633_, _A18_, _N_, _O'F_ (_altered to_ a very),
_TC:_ a very _1635-69_]
[16 emptinesse: _1719:_ emptinesse; _Chambers and Grolier:_
emptinesse _1633-54:_ emptinesse, _1669_. _See note_]
[20 have; _Ed:_ have, _1633-69_. ]
[31 know;] know, _1633_]
[32 beast,] beast; _Grolier_]
[34 love; All, all _Ed:_ love, all, all _1633-69_
invest; _Ed:_ invest, _1633:_ invest _1635-69_]
[37 renew. _1633:_ renew, _1635-69_]
[41 all; _Ed:_ all, _1633-69 and Chambers, who places a full
stop after_ festivall]
[44 Eve, _1650-69:_ eve, _1633-39_]
_Witchcraft by a picture. _
I fixe mine eye on thine, and there
Pitty my picture burning in thine eye,
My picture drown'd in a transparent teare,
When I looke lower I espie;
Hadst thou the wicked skill 5
By pictures made and mard, to kill,
How many wayes mightst thou performe thy will?
But now I have drunke thy sweet salt teares,
And though thou poure more I'll depart;
My picture vanish'd, vanish feares, 10
That I can be endamag'd by that art;
Though thou retaine of mee
One picture more, yet that will bee,
Being in thine owne heart, from all malice free.
[Witchcraft _&c. _ _1633-69_, _A18_, _N_, _TCC_, _TCD:_ The
Picture. _or_ Picture. _Cy_, _JC_, _O'F_, _P_, _S96:_ A Songe.
_B_]
[4 espie; _Ed:_ espie, _1633-69_]
[6 to kill, _Ed:_ to kill? _1633-39:_ to kill; _1650-69_]
[9 And though] Although _1669_ And though thou therefore poure
more will depart; _B_, _H40_]
[10 vanish'd, vanish feares, _1633_, _A18_, _B_, _Cy_, _H40_,
_JC_, _N_, _P_, _S96_, _TC:_ vanished, vanish all feares
_1635-54_, _O'F:_ vanish, vanish fears, _1669_]
[11 that] thy _JC_, _O'F_, _S96_]
[14 all] thy _B_, _H40_, _S96_]
_The Baite.
