Category: PART III

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

¹⁷

The waves like ridges of plowed land are¹⁸ high,
Whereat the ship¹⁹ oft stumbling²⁰ down doth lie.
But in a calm, level as meadows seem,²¹
And by²² its saltness makes it look as green.
When ships thereon a slow, soft pace do²³ walk,                   5
Then mariners, as shepherds, sing and talk.
Some whistle, and some on their pipes do play,
And thus with mirth they²⁴ 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,²⁵ tied with silken string.²⁶
Instead of garlands, they hang on their mast²⁷
Huge sails, and ropes to tie these²⁸ garlands fast;²⁹
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 wolves³⁰ 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 doth³¹ show                         25
Above the waters when they roughly³² flow,
And like as men in time of show’ring rain³³
And wind do not in open fields remain,³⁴
But quickly run for shelter to a tree,³⁵
So ships at anchor lie upon the sea.                                         30

³⁶

The sea’s like deserts, which³⁷ 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 make³⁸ it forward run,³⁹                5
And on each⁴⁰ side, as⁴¹ stirrups, serves a⁴² 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

⁴³

Imaginations high like cedars show,
Where leaves of new invention⁴⁴ thick do grow,
Which thoughts, as gentle winds, do blow about,
And contemplation makes those leaves to sprout,⁴⁵
And pleasures,⁴⁶ with delight, as birds, do sing                     5
On every bough, to think what fame they bring.

⁴⁷

Thoughts as a pen do write upon the brain.
The letters which wise thoughts do write, are plain.
Fools scribble, scrabble, and⁴⁸ make many a blot,
Which makes them nonsense⁴⁹ speak—they know not what.
Some⁵⁰ thoughts, like pencils, draw still to the life,⁵¹                  5
And fancies mixed, as colors, give delight.
The sadder⁵² thoughts are for the⁵³ shadows placed,
By which the lighter fancies are more graced.
Like as⁵⁴ through dark⁵⁵ and wat’ry clouds,⁵⁶ more bright
The sun breaks forth with his resplendent light,                      10
Or like to⁵⁷ night’s black mantle, where each star
Doth clearer seem, so lighter fancies are.
Some like to⁵⁸ rainbows various colors show;
So round the brain fantastic fancies grow.

⁵⁹

Standing upon⁶⁰ a hill of fancies high,
And viewing round⁶¹ with curiosities eye,
Under my thoughts saw⁶² several landscapes lie.⁶³

Some champains⁶⁴ of delights⁶⁵ I saw,⁶⁶ did feed
Pleasures, as wethers fat, and ewes to breed.                         5
And cows of probability, which went⁶⁷
In hope’s green pastures, gave milk of content.⁶⁸
Some fields, though plowed with care, unsowed did lie,
Wanting the fruitful seed of industry;⁶⁹
In other fields, full crops of joys there growed,                      10
Where some ripe joys⁷⁰ fruition down had mowed;⁷¹
Some blasted with ill accidents looked black,⁷²
Others, blown down with sorrow strong, lay flat.⁷³⁷⁴

Then I enclosures viewed, which close did⁷⁵ lie,
Hearts hedged about with thoughts of secrecy.                      15
Meadows of youth did pleasant show, and green;⁷⁶
Innocency, as cowslips, grew therein.
Some ready with old age to cut for hay,
Some hay cocked high for Death to take away.
Clear rivulets of health ran here and there;                            20
No sign⁷⁷ of sickness in them did appear;
No stones or gravel stopped their passage free,
No weeds of pain, or slimy gouts could see.
Woods did present my view on the left side,
With⁷⁸ trees of high ambition and⁷⁹ great pride.                   25
There shades of envy were made of dark spite,
Which did eclipse the fame of honor’s light.
Faults stood so close, that but few⁸⁰ beams of praise
Could enter in; spite⁸¹ stopped up all the ways.
But leaves of prattling tongues, which ne’er lie still,⁸²         30
Sometimes speak truth, although most lies they tell.⁸³

Then did I⁸⁴ a garden of⁸⁵ beauty view,
Where sweet complexions,⁸⁶ rose and lily,⁸⁷ grew.
And on the banks of breasts most perfect there⁸⁸
Did violets of azure veins appear;⁸⁹                                          35
Lips of fresh gillyflowers grew up high,
Which oft the sun did kiss as he passed by;
Hands of narcissus showed most perfect white,⁹⁰
Whose palms,⁹¹ fine tulips, were streaked with delight.⁹²

Close by this gard’n⁹³ a lovely orchard stood,                         40
Wherein grew⁹⁴ fruit of pleasure rare and good.
All colored eyes grew there, as bullace gray,
And damsons black, which do taste best, some say.
Others there were of the pure bluest grape,
And pear-plum faces, of an oval shape,                                    45
And cheeks⁹⁵ of apricots made red with heat,
And cherry lips, which most delight to eat.
When I had⁹⁶ viewed this landscape round about,
I fell from⁹⁷ fancy’s hill, and so wit’s⁹⁸ sight went out.

⁹⁹
Once at imagination’s windows I,¹⁰⁰
Standing, a prospect in the mind did spy,¹⁰¹
Shutting the ignorant eye as close may be,¹⁰²
Because the eye of knowledge clear might see,¹⁰³
Drawing a circle round of fine conceits,¹⁰⁴                            5
Speeches extravagant contracting straight.¹⁰⁵
The more I viewed, my eye the farther went,
Till understanding’s sight was almost spent.
An aisle of thoughts within a church I viewed;¹⁰⁶¹⁰⁷
Filled full of fancy’s light to me it showed.¹⁰⁸                      10
Pillars of judgments thick stood on a row,
And in this aisle Motion walked to and fro.
Fear, love, humility kneeled down to pray;
Desires begged¹⁰⁹ of all that passed that way;
Poor doubts did shake as if they had some harm,¹¹⁰         15
Yet mantles of good hope did keep them warm.¹¹¹
Generous¹¹² Faith seemed bountiful and free;
She gave to all that asked her charity.
All sorts of sects¹¹³ in pulpits seemed to preach;
Fables for truth, no doubt, did many teach.¹¹⁴                    20
Not that I heard¹¹⁵ what their opinions were,
For prospect’s in the eye, not in the ear.¹¹⁶

¹¹⁷
The mind’s a merchant, trafficking about
The ocean of the brain to find¹¹⁸ opinions out.
Remembrance is the warehouse where are laid¹¹⁹
Goods, by imagination’s ships conveyed,¹²⁰
Which every¹²¹ tradesman of belief still buys,                   5
Gaining by truth, but losing all¹²² by lies.
Thoughts, as the journeymen and prentice boys,
Do help to sort the wares and sell the toys.

¹²³

Birds from the cedars tall do¹²⁴ take a flight
On stretchèd wings, to bear their bodies light.
As ships do sail over the ocean wide,
So birds do¹²⁵ sail, and through the air do¹²⁶ glide.
Their bodies are¹²⁷ the keel; feet, cable rope;¹²⁸                             5
The head, the steersman¹²⁹ which doth guide the poop.
Their wings, as sails, with wind are stretched out wide,
But hard it is¹³⁰ to fly against the tide.
For when the clouds do flow¹³¹ against their breast,
They¹³² weary grow, and on a bough¹³³ do¹³⁴ rest.                      10

¹³⁴

The airy clouds do swiftly run a race,
Each other following as¹³⁵ in a chase.
Like horses, some are sprightful, nimbl’and¹³⁶ fleet,
Others swelled big with wat’ry spavined feet.
Some¹³⁷ lag behind, as tired in¹³⁸ midway,                                     5
And some,¹³⁹ like resty jades, stock-still will stay.
They all of¹⁴⁰ several shapes and colors be,
Of several tempers, seldom well agree.
And as those horses which are¹⁴¹ highly fed
Do proudly snort—their eyes look fiery red—                         10
So clouds exhaled, fed by the hot sun,¹⁴²
With sulphur and saltpetre fierce become,¹⁴³
Flash out fire when they on each other light,¹⁴⁴
And with those flames the¹⁴⁵ world with terror fright;
Meeting each other,¹⁴⁶ they encounters make,                          15
And do with strong assaults each other¹⁴⁷ break,
Falling upon each other’s head and back,
Ne’er parted are, but by a¹⁴⁸ thunder crack.¹⁴⁹
Then pouring down some show’rs of rain they do¹⁵⁰
Strong gusts of wind with their long breath out blow.¹⁵¹        20
Then Boreas whips¹⁵² them up, and makes them run
Till all their breath is spent, and spirits¹⁵³ gone.
Apollo breaks and backs them fit to ride,
Bridling with his hot beams their strengths¹⁵⁴ to guide;
He¹⁵⁵ gives them heats until they foam and sweat,                   25
Then¹⁵⁶ wipes them dry, lest they a cold should get,
Leads them into the middle-region stable,
Where are all sorts: dull, quick, weak, and¹⁵⁷ able.
But when they loose do get, having no fears,
They fall together all out¹⁵⁸ by the ears.                                      30