Michael Drayton- Collected Poetical Works
Page 164
As but yee, who can expresse:
Thus mounted should the Nimphes me see,
All the troope would follow me, 350
Thinking by this state that I
Would asume a Deitie.
There be some in loue haue bin,
And I may commit that sinne,
And if e’r I be in loue,
With one of you I feare twill proue,
But with which I cannot tell,
So my gallant Youths farewell.
THE THIRD NIMPHALL
DORON. NAIJS. CLORIS. CLAIA.
DORILVS. CLOE. MERTILLA.
FLORIMEL.
With Nimphes and Forresters.
Poetick Raptures, sacred fires,
With which Apollo his inspires,
This Nimphall gives you; and withall
Obserues the Muses Festivall.
Amongst th’ Elizians many mirthfull Feasts,
At which the Muses are the certaine guests,
Th’ obserue one Day with most Emperiall state,
To wise Apollo which they dedicate,
The Poets God; and to his Alters bring
Th’ enamel’d Brauery of the beauteous spring,
And strew their Bowers with euery precious sweet,
Which still wax fresh, most trod on with their feet;
With most choice flowers each Nimph doth brade her hayre,
And not the mean’st but bauldrick wise doth weare 10
Some goodly Garland, and the most renown’d
With curious Roseat Anadems are crown’d.
These being come into the place where they
Yearely obserue the Orgies to that day,
The Muses from their Heliconian spring
Their brimfull Mazers to the feasting bring:
When with deepe Draughts out of those plenteous Bowles,
The iocond Youth haue swild their thirsty soules,
They fall enraged with a sacred heat,
And when their braines doe once begin to sweat 20
They into braue and Stately numbers breake,
And not a word that any one doth speake
But tis Prophetick, and so strangely farre
In their high fury they transported are,
As there’s not one, on any thing can straine,
But by another answred is againe
In the same Rapture, which all sit to heare;
When as two Youths that soundly liquord were,
Dorilus and Doron, two as noble swayns
As euer kept on the Elizian playns, 30
First by their signes attention hauing woonne,
Thus they the Reuels frolikly begunne.
Doron. Come Dorilus, let vs be brave,
In lofty numbers let vs raue,
With Rymes I will inrich thee.
Dorilus. Content say I, then bid the base,
Our wits shall runne the Wildgoosechase,
Spurre vp, or I will swich thee.
Doron. The Sunne out of the East doth peepe,
And now the day begins to creepe, 40
Vpon the world at leasure.
Dorilus. The Ayre enamor’d of the Greaues,
The West winde stroaks the velvit leaues
And kisses them at pleasure.
Doron. The spinners webs twixt spray and spray,
The top of euery bush make gay,
By filmy coards there dangling.
Dorilus. For now the last dayes euening dew
Euen to the full it selfe doth shew,
Each bough with Pearle bespangling. 50
Doron. O Boy how thy abundant vaine
Euen like a Flood breaks from thy braine,
Nor can thy Muse be gaged.
Dorilus. Why nature forth did neuer bring
A man that like to me can sing,
If once I be enraged.
Doron. Why Dorilus I in my skill
Can make the swiftest Streame stand still,
Nay beare back to his springing.
Dorilus. And I into a Trance most deepe 60
Can cast the Birds that they shall sleepe
When fain’st they would be singing.
Doron. Why Dorilus thou mak’st me mad,
And now my wits begin to gad,
But sure I know not whither.
Dorilus. O Doron let me hug thee then,
There neuer was two madder men,
Then let vs on together.
Doron. Hermes the winged Horse bestrid,
And thorow thick and thin he rid, 70
And floundred throw the Fountaine.
Dorilus. He spurd the Tit vntill he bled,
So that at last he ran his head
Against the forked Mountaine,
Doron. How sayst thou, but pyde Iris got
Into great Iunos Chariot,
I spake with one that saw her.
Dorilus. And there the pert and sawcy Elfe,
Behau’d her as twere Iuno’s selfe,
And made the Peacocks draw her. 80
Doron. Ile borrow Phœbus fiery Iades,
With which about the world he trades,
And put them in my Plow.
Dorilus. O thou most perfect frantique man,
Yet let thy rage be what it can,
Ile be as mad as thou.
Doron. Ile to great Iove, hap good, hap ill,
Though he with Thunder threat to kill,
And beg of him a boone.
Dorilus. To swerue vp one of Cynthias beames, 90
And there to bath thee in the streames.
Discouerd in the Moone.
Doron. Come frolick Youth and follow me,
My frantique boy, and Ile show thee
The Countrey of the Fayries.
Dorilus. The fleshy Mandrake where’t doth grow
In noonshade of the Mistletow,
And where the Phœnix Aryes.
Doron. Nay more, the Swallowes winter bed,
The Caverns where the Winds are bred, 100
Since thus thou talkst of showing.
Dorilus. And to those Indraughts Ile thee bring,
That wondrous and eternall spring
Whence th’ Ocean hath its flowing.
Doron. We’ll downe to the darke house of sleepe,
Where snoring Morpheus doth keepe,
And wake the drowsy Groome.
Dorilus. Downe shall the Dores and Windowes goe,
The Stooles vpon the Floare we’ll throw,
And roare about the Roome. 110
The Muses here commanded them to stay,
Commending much the caridge of their Lay
As greatly pleasd at this their madding Bout,
To heare how brauely they had borne it out
From first to the last, of which they were right glad,
By this they found that Helicon still had
That vertue it did anciently retaine
When Orpheus Lynus and th’ Ascrean Swaine
Tooke lusty Rowses, which hath made their Rimes,
To last so long to all succeeding times. 120
And now amongst this beauteous Beauie here,
Two wanton Nimphes, though dainty ones they were,
Naijs and Cloe in their female fits
Longing to show the sharpnesse of their wits,
Of the nine Sisters speciall leaue doe craue
That the next Bout they two might freely haue,
Who hauing got the suffrages of all,
Thus to their Rimeing instantly they fall.
Naijs. Amongst you all let us see
Who ist opposes mee, 130
Come on the proudest she
To answere my dittye.
Cloe. Why Naijs, that am I,
Who dares thy pride defie.
And that we soone shall try
Though thou be witty.
Naijs. Cloe I scorne my Rime
Should obserue feet or time,
Now I fall, then I clime,
Where i
’st I dare not. 140
Cloe. Giue thy Invention wing,
And let her flert and fling,
Till downe the Rocks she ding,
For that I care not.
Naijs. This presence delights me,
My freedome inuites me,
The Season excytes me,
In Rime to be merry.
Cloe. And I beyond measure,
Am rauisht with pleasure, 150
To answer each Ceasure,
Untill thou beist weary.
Naijs. Behold the Rosye Dawne,
Rises in Tinsild Lawne,
And smiling seemes to fawne,
Vpon the mountaines.
Cloe. Awaked from her Dreames,
Shooting foorth goulden Beames
Dansing vpon the Streames
Courting the Fountaines. 160
Naijs. These more then sweet Showrets,
Intice vp these Flowrets,
To trim vp our Bowrets,
Perfuming our Coats.
Cloe. Whilst the Birds billing
Each one with his Dilling
The thickets still filling
With Amorous Noets.
Naijs. The Bees vp in hony rould,
More then their thighes can hould, 170
Lapt in their liquid gould,
Their Treasure vs Bringing.
Cloe. To these Rillets purling
Vpon the stones Curling,
And oft about wherling,
Dance tow’ard their springing.
Naijs. The Wood-Nimphes sit singing,
Each Groue with notes ringing
Whilst fresh Ver is flinging
Her Bounties abroad. 180
Cloe. So much as the Turtle,
Upon the low Mertle,
To the meads fertle,
Her cares doth unload.
Naijs. Nay ’tis a world to see,
In euery bush and Tree,
The Birds with mirth and glee,
Woo’d as they woe.
Cloe. The Robin and the Wren,
Every Cocke with his Hen, 190
Why should not we and men,
Doe as they doe.
Naijs. The Faires are hopping,
The small Flowers cropping,
And with dew dropping,
Skip thorow the Greaues.
Cloe. At Barly-breake they play
Merrily all the day,
At night themselues they lay
Vpon the soft leaues. 200
Naijs. The gentle winds sally,
Vpon every Valley,
And many times dally
And wantonly sport.
Cloe. About the fields tracing,
Each other in chasing,
And often imbracing,
In amorous sort.
Naijs. And Eccho oft doth tell
Wondrous things from her Cell, 210
As her what chance befell,
Learning to prattle.
Cloe. And now she sits and mocks
The Shepherds and their flocks,
And the Heards from the Rocks
Keeping their Cattle.
When to these Maids the Muses silence cry,
For ’twas the opinion of the Company,
That were not these two taken of, that they
Would in their Conflict wholly spend the day. 220
When as the Turne to Florimel next came,
A Nimph for Beauty of especiall name,
Yet was she not so Iolly as the rest:
And though she were by her companions prest,
Yet she by no intreaty would be wrought
To sing, as by th’ Elizian Lawes she ought:
When two bright Nimphes that her companions were,
And of all other onely held her deare,
Mild Claris and Mertilla, with faire speech
Their most beloued Florimel beseech, 230
T’obserue the Muses, and the more to wooe her,
They take their turnes, and thus they sing vnto her.
Cloris. Sing, Florimel, O sing, and wee
Our whole wealth will giue to thee,
We’ll rob the brim of euery Fountaine,
Strip the sweets from euery Mountaine,
We will sweepe the curled valleys,
Brush the bancks that mound our allyes,
We will muster natures dainties
When she wallowes in her plentyes, 240
The lushyous smell of euery flower
New washt by an Aprill shower,
The Mistresse of her store we’ll make thee
That she for her selfe shall take thee;
Can there be a dainty thing,
That’s not thine if thou wilt sing.
Mertilla. When the dew in May distilleth,
And the Earths rich bosome filleth,
And with Pearle embrouds each Meadow,
We will make them like a widow, 250
And in all their Beauties dresse thee,
And of all their spoiles possesse thee,
With all the bounties Zephyre brings,
Breathing on the yearely springs,
The gaudy bloomes of euery Tree
In their most beauty when they be,
What is here that may delight thee,
Or to pleasure may excite thee,
Can there be a dainty thing
That’s not thine if thou wilt sing. 260
But Florimel still sullenly replyes
I will not sing at all, let that suffice:
When as a Nimph one of the merry ging
Seeing she no way could be wonne to sing;
Come, come, quoth she, ye vtterly vndoe her
With your intreaties, and your reuerence to her;
For praise nor prayers, she careth not a pin;
They that our froward Florimel would winne,
Must worke another way, let me come to her,
Either Ile make her sing, or Ile vndoe her. 270
Claia. Florimel I thus coniure thee,
Since their gifts cannot alure thee;
By stampt Garlick, that doth stink
Worse then common Sewer, or Sink,
By Henbane, Dogsbane, Woolfsbane, sweet
As any Clownes or Carriers feet,
By stinging Nettles, pricking Teasels
Raysing blisters like the measels,
By the rough Burbreeding docks,
Rancker then the oldest Fox, 280
By filthy Hemblock, poysning more
Then any vlcer or old sore,
By the Cockle in the corne,
That smels farre worse then doth burnt horne,
By Hempe in water that hath layne,
By whose stench the Fish are slayne,
By Toadflax which your Nose may tast,
If you haue a minde to cast,
May all filthy stinking Weeds
That e’r bore leafe, or e’r had seeds, 290
Florimel be giuen to thee,
If thou’lt not sing as well as wee.
At which the Nimphs to open laughter fell,
Amongst the rest the beauteous Florimel,
(Pleasd with the spell from Claia that came,
A mirthfull Gerle and giuen to sport and game)
As gamesome growes as any of them all,
And to this ditty instantly doth fall.
Florimel. How in my thoughts should I contriue
The Image I am framing, 300
Which is so farre superlatiue,
As tis beyond all naming;
I would Ioue of my counsell make,
And haue his judgement in it,
But that I doubt he would mistake
How rightly to begin it,
It must be builded in the Ayre,
And tis my thoughts must doo it,
And onely they must be the stayre
From earth to mount me to it, 310
For of my Sex I frame my Lay,
Each houre, our selues forsaking,
&
nbsp; How should I then finde out the way
To this my vndertaking,
When our weake Fancies working still,
Yet changing every minnit,
Will shew that it requires some skill,
Such difficulty’s in it.
We would things, yet we know not what,
And let our will be granted, 320
Yet instantly we finde in that
Something vnthought of wanted:
Our ioyes and hopes such shadowes are,
As with our motions varry,
Which when we oft haue fetcht from farre,
With us they neuer tarry:
Some worldly crosse doth still attend,
What long we haue in spinning,
And e’r we fully get the end
We lose of our beginning. 330
Our pollicies so peevish are,
That with themselues they wrangle,
And many times become the snare
That soonest vs intangle;
For that the Loue we beare our Friends
Though nere so strongly grounded,
Hath in it certaine oblique ends
If to the bottome sounded:
Our owne well wishing making it,
A pardonable Treason; 340
For that is deriud from witt,
And vnderpropt with reason.
For our Deare selues beloued sake
(Euen in the depth of passion)
Our Center though our selues we make,
Yet is not that our station;
For whilst our Browes ambitious be
And youth at hand awayts vs,
It is a pretty thing to see
How finely Beautie cheats vs, 350
And whilst with tyme we tryfling stand
To practise Antique graces
Age with a pale and withered hand
Drawes Furowes in our faces.
When they which so desirous were before
To hear her sing; desirous are far more
To haue her cease; and call to haue her stayd
For she to much alredy had bewray’d.
And as the thrice three Sisters thus had grac’d
Their Celebration, and themselues had plac’d 360
Vpon a Violet banck, in order all
Where they at will might view the Festifall
The Nimphs and all the lusty youth that were
At this braue Nimphall, by them honored there,
To Gratifie the heauenly Gerles againe
Lastly prepare in state to entertaine
Those sacred Sisters, fairely and confer,
On each of them, their prayse particular
And thus the Nimphes to the nine Muses sung.
When as the Youth and Forresters among 370
That well prepared for this businesse were,
Become the Chorus, and thus sung they there.
Nimphes. Clio then first of those Celestiall nine
That daily offer to the sacred shryne,
Of wise Apollo; Queene of Stories,
Thou that vindicat’st the glories
Of passed ages, and renewst