Category: PART III

¹

Imaginations high like cedars show,
Where leaves of new invention² thick do grow,
Which thoughts, as gentle winds, do blow about,
And contemplation makes those leaves to sprout,³
And pleasures,⁴ with delight, as birds, do sing                     5
On every bough, to think what fame they bring.

¹

The sea’s like deserts, which² are wide and long,
Where ships as horses run, whose breath is strong.
The sternman holds the reins, thereby to guide
The sturdy steed on foamy seas to ride.
The wind’s his whip, to make³ it forward run,⁴                5
And on each⁵ side, as⁶ stirrups, serves a⁷ gun.
The sails, as saddles, spread upon the back;
The ropes, as girts, which in a storm will crack;
The pump, the breech, where excrements come out;
The needle, as the eye, guides it about.                               10

¹

The waves like ridges of plowed land are² high,
Whereat the ship³ oft stumbling⁴ down doth lie.
But in a calm, level as meadows seem,⁵
And by⁶ its saltness makes it look as green.
When ships thereon a slow, soft pace do⁷ walk,                   5
Then mariners, as shepherds, sing and talk.
Some whistle, and some on their pipes do play,
And thus with mirth they⁸ pass their time away.
And every mast is like a maypole high,
Round which they dance, though not so merrily                 10
As shepherds do when they their lasses bring
Garlands to maypoles,⁹ tied with silken string.¹⁰
Instead of garlands, they hang on their mast¹¹
Huge sails, and ropes to tie these¹² garlands fast;¹³
Instead of lasses they do dance with Death,                          15
And for their music they have Boreas’s breath;
Instead of wine and wassails, drink salt tears,
And for their meat they feed on nought but fears.
For flocks of sheep, great shoals of herrings swim;
The whales as ravenous wolves¹⁴ do feed on them.            20
As sportful kids skip over hillocks green,
So dancing dolphins on the waves are seen.
The porpoise, like their watchful dog, espies,
And gives them warning when great winds will rise.
Instead of barking, he his head doth¹⁵ show                         25
Above the waters when they roughly¹⁶ flow,
And like as men in time of show’ring rain¹⁷
And wind do not in open fields remain,¹⁸
But quickly run for shelter to a tree,¹⁹
So ships at anchor lie upon the sea.                                         30

¹

Thus the rough seas, which boist’rous² winds enrage,
Assault a ship, and in fierce war engage.
Just³ like rude multitudes, whom⁴ factions swell
With⁵ rankled spleen, which makes them to⁶ rebel
Against their governor,⁷ thronging about,                           5
With hideous noise to throw his⁸ power out.
And if their power gets the upper hand,
They’ll⁹ make him sink, and then in triumph stand,
Foaming at mouth, as if great deeds they’d done,
When they were multitudes, and he but one.                     10
So seas do foam and froth about a ship,¹⁰
And both do¹¹ strive which shall the better get.
But¹² wisdom, like skilled mariners, through wide¹³
And gaping jaws of Death the ship doth guide,¹⁴
And to a haven safe will bring her in,¹⁵                               15
Although through many dangers she did swim.¹⁶

¹

The head of man is like the world made round,
And² all the elements are in it³ found.
The brain’s the⁴ earth from whence all plants do spring,
And from the womb it doth all creatures bring.
Forehead and nose are⁵ hills that⁶ do rise high,                       5
And⁷ overtop the dales that level lie.
The hair, like⁸ trees which long⁹ in length do grow,
And like their¹⁰ leaves, which¹¹ wind waves¹² to and fro.
Wit, like to several creatures, wild doth run¹³
On several subjects, which¹⁴ each other shun.¹⁵                      10
The blood, as seas, doth through the veins run round,
The sweat, as springs by which fresh water’s found.
As winds, which from the hollow caves do blow,
So through the mouth the winded breath doth go.
The eyes are like the sun, and do give¹⁶ light;                           15
When senses are asleep, it is dark night.
And¹⁷ after sleep half open are the eyes,
Like¹⁸ dawning light, when first the sun doth rise.
When they do drowsy grow, then sets the sun,¹⁹
And when the lids are shut it is quite gone.²⁰                            20
When heavy they’re and dull, like mist it seems,²¹
Or a dark cloud which hides the sun’s bright beams,²²
Which shows that there some²³ shower of tears will fall,
Where cheeks, as flow’ry banks, grow moist²⁴ withal.
As twinkling stars show in dark clouds most²⁵ clear,              25
So fancies quick do in the brain appear.
Imaginations like the orbs move round,²⁶
Whereof some²⁷ quick, others are slower found.²⁸
And²⁹ solid thoughts, like³⁰ the twelve signs, do prove,³¹
And round³² the zodiac of wisdom move,³³                               30
Where they as constantly in wisdom run,
As in the line ecliptic doth the sun.

I to th’ecliptic³⁴ line the head compare;
The illustrious³⁵ wit, to³⁶ the sun’s bright sphere.
The brain I liken to³⁷ the solid Earth,                                          35
From whence all wisdom hath its life and birth,³⁸
And³⁹ as the Earth, so is the⁴⁰ head’s round ball,
For it is⁴¹ crowned with orbs celestial⁴²
And thus the⁴³ head and world as one agree,
For Nature made⁴⁴ the head a world to be.                                40

¹

The head of man just like a hive is made;
The brain is like a comb² exactly laid,
Where every thought, just like a bee, doth dwell,
Each by itself within a parted cell.
The soul doth govern all, as doth their³ king,                        5
Employs each thought⁴ upon each several thing.
Just as the⁵ bees swarm in the hottest weather,
In great round heaps they do hang all together,⁶
As if for counsel wise they all did meet,⁷
For when they fly away, new hives they seek.⁸                     10
So Men, when they have any great design,
Their thoughts do gather and⁹ in heaps combine.¹⁰
But when they are resolved,¹¹ each one takes flight,
And strives¹² which first shall on desire¹³ light.
Thus¹⁴ thoughts do meet¹⁵ and fly about, till they               15
For their subsistence can find out a way.
But doubting thoughts, like drones, live on the rest
Of hoping¹⁶ thoughts, which honey bring to nest.
For like as bees by their sting’s industry¹⁷
Get¹⁸ honey, which the stingless drones live by,¹⁹                20
So men without ambition’s stings do live
Upon th’industrious stock their fathers give.
Or like to such that steals a²⁰ poet’s wit,
And dress it up in their²¹ own language fit.
But fancy into every garden flies,                                            25
And sucks the flowers sweet of²² lips and eyes.
But if they light²³ on those that are not fair,
Like bees on herbs that dry and withered are.²⁴
As²⁵ purest honey on sweet flowers lies,
So finest fancies from young beauties rise.                           30

If thoughts be the mind’s creatures, as some say,
Then, like the rest,¹ they on each other² prey,
Ambitious thoughts, like to a hawk, fly high,
In circles of desires mount the³ sky.
And when a covey of young hopes up springs,⁴                             5
They strive to catch them with their swiftest wings.⁵
Thus as the hawk on partridges doth⁶ eat,
So hopeful thoughts are for ambitions⁷ meat.
Thoughts of self love do swim in self conceit.
Imaginary thoughts of⁸ praises bait,⁹                                               10
Which baits¹⁰ the thoughts of pride do catch and¹¹ eat,
Thinking it high and most¹² delicious meat.
Thoughts of revenge are like to lions strong,
Which whet the appetite with thoughts of wrong.
With subtle thoughts they couch and leap for prey,¹³                   15
But bloody thoughts carry the flesh away.¹⁴
The¹⁵ spiteful thoughts, like cats which¹⁶ mice do catch,
At each¹⁷ corner of imperfections watch.
When spite perceives detracting thoughts to¹⁸ speak,
It straight leaps on, no other meat doth seek.                                 20
Suspicious thoughts like hounds do hunt about
To find and eat the hare¹⁹ of timorous doubt.
Observing thoughts do smell²⁰ which way to trace,
And hateful thoughts do follow close the chase.
But thoughts of patience like to dormice live,                                 25
Eat little: sleep them²¹ nourishment doth give.
And when they feed, they thoughts of sorrows crack,²²
Which nuts being²³ hard, their²⁴ teeth against them knack.²⁵
But²⁶ grateful thoughts on thoughts of thanks do feed,²⁷
And, by their industry, like ants they speed.²⁸                                30
But thoughts of love do live on several meat,
Of hopes, and fears, and jealousies they²⁹ eat,
And³⁰ like as bees do fly on several flowers³¹
To suck out honey,³² so thoughts do of lovers.³³

¹

Some fancies, like small gnats, buzz in the brain,
And² by the hand of worldly cares are slain.
But they do sting so sore the poet’s head,
His mind is blistered, and his³ thoughts turn⁴ red.
Nought can take out this⁵ burning heat and pain            5
But pen and ink, to write on paper plain.
Then⁶ take the oil of fame, and ’noint⁷ the mind,
And this will⁸ be a perfect cure, you’ll find.

¹

The spider’s housewif’ry no webs doth spin
To make her cloth, but ropes to hang flies in.
Her bowels are the shop where flax is found;
Her body is the wheel that goeth round.
A wall her² distaff, where she sticks thread on;³                       5
The fingers are the feet that pull it long.⁴
She’s busy at all times, not idle lies;⁵
A house she builds with nets to catch the flies.⁶
Though it be not so strong as brick and stone,
Yet strong enough to bear light bodies on.                                  10
Within this house the female spider lies,
The whilst the male doth hunt abroad for flies.
Ne’er leaving⁷ till he⁸ flies gets in, which are⁹
Entangled¹⁰ soon¹¹ within his subtle snare,
Like treacherous hosts,¹² which do¹³ much welcome make   15
Their guests, yet watch how they their lives¹⁴ may take.

I am the purest of all Nature’s works;
No dross nor sluggish moisture in me lurks.
I am within the bowels of the Earth;
None knows of what, or whence, I took my birth.
And as the sun, I shine in glory bright;                                   5
Only I want his beams to make a light.
And as the sun is chief of planets high,
So on the Earth the chiefest thing am I.
And as the sun rules there as lord and king,
So on the Earth I govern everything.                                      10
And as the sun doth run about the world,
So I about from man to man am¹ hurled.