Making my sighs to thawe the frozen seas,
And let the Bards within the Irish Ile,
To whom my Muse with fiery wings shall passe,
Call backe the stifneckd rebels from exile,
And molifie the slaughtering Galliglasse:
And when my flowing numbers they rehearse,
Let Wolues and Bears be charmed with my verse.
Sonet 27
I gaue my faith to Loue, Loue
his to mee,
That hee and I, sworne brothers
should remaine,
Thus fayth receiu’d,
fayth giuen back againe,
Who would imagine bond more
sure could be?
Loue flies to her, yet holds
he my fayth taken,
Thus from my vertue raiseth
my offence,
Making me guilty by mine innocence;
And surer bond by beeing so
forsaken,
He makes her aske what I before
had vow’d,
Giuing her that, which he
had giuen me,
I bound by him, and he by
her made free,
Who euer so hard breach of
fayth alow’d?
Speake you that
should of right and wrong discusse,
Was right ere
wrong’d, or wrong ere righted thus?
Sonet 29
To the Sences
When conquering loue did first
my hart assaile,
Vnto mine ayde I summond euery
sence,
Doubting if that proude tyrant
should preuaile,
My hart should suffer for
mine eyes offence;
But he with beauty, first
corrupted sight,
My hearing bryb’d with
her tongues harmony,
My taste, by her sweet lips
drawne with delight,
My smelling wonne with her
breaths spicerie;
But when my touching came
to play his part,
(The King of sences, greater
than the rest)
That yeelds loue up the keyes
vnto my hart,
And tells the other how they
should be blest;
And thus by those
of whom I hop’d for ayde,
To cruell Loue
my soule was first betrayd.
Sonet 30
To the Vestalls
Those Priests, which first
the Vestall fire begun,
Which might be borrowed from
no earthly flame,
Deuisd a vessell to receiue
the sunne,
Beeing stedfastly opposed
to the same;
Where with sweet wood laid
curiously by Art,
Whereon the sunne might by
reflection beate,
Receiuing strength from euery
secret part,
The fuell kindled with celestiall
heate.
Thy blessed eyes, the sunne
which lights this fire,
My holy thoughts, they be
the Vestall flame,
The precious odors be my chast
desire,
My breast the fuell which
includes the same;
Thou art my Vesta,
thou my Goddesse art,
Thy hollowed Temple,
onely is my hart.