•     GO, lovely rose!
    Tell her that wastes her time and me,
        That now she knows,
    When I resemble her to thee,
    How sweet and fair she seems to be.

        Tell her that ’s young,
    And shuns to have her graces spied,
        That hadst thou sprung
    In deserts, where no men abide,
    Thou must have uncommended died.

        ...

  • Whenas in silks my Julia goes,
    Then, then, methinks, how sweetly flowes
    That liquefaction of her clothes.

    Next, when I cast mine eyes and see
    That brave vibration each way free,
    O how that glittering taketh me!

  • From “Tyrannic Love,” Act IV. Sc. 1.

    AH, how sweet it is to love!
      Ah, how gay is young desire!
    And what pleasing pains we prove
      When we first approach love’s fire!
    Pains of love be sweeter far
    Than all other pleasures are.

    Sighs which are from lovers blown
      Do but gently heave the heart:
    E’en the tears they shed...

  •     Welcome, welcome, do I sing,
        Far more welcome than the spring;
        He that parteth from you never
        Shall enjoy a spring forever.

    Love, that to the voice is near,
      Breaking from your ivory pale,
    Need not walk abroad to hear
      The delightful nightingale.
        Welcome, welcome, then I sing, etc.

    Love, that...

  • Love still has something of the sea,
      From whence his Mother rose;
    No time his slaves from love can free,
      Nor give their thoughts repose.

    They are becalmed in clearest days,
      And in rough weather tost;
    They wither under cold delays,
      Or are in tempests lost.

    One while they seem to touch the port,
      Then straight...

  • Whoe’er she be,
    That not impossible She
    That shall command my heart and me:

    Where’er she lie,
    Locked up from mortal eye
    In shady leaves of destiny:

    Till that ripe birth
    Of studied Fate stand forth,
    And teach her fair steps tread our earth;

    Till that divine
    Idea take a shrine
    Of crystal flesh, through...

  • Shall I tell you whom I love?
      Hearken then awhile to me;
    And if such a woman move
      As I now shall versify,
    Be assured ’t is she or none,
    That I love, and love alone.

    Nature did her so much right
      As she scorns the help of art.
    In as many virtues dight
      As e’er yet embraced a heart.
    So much good so truly...

  • 1.  AMONG thy fancies tell me this:
      What is the thing we call a kiss?
    2.  I shall resolve ye what it is:

      It is a creature born and bred
      Between the lips all cherry red,
      By love and warm desires fed;
    Chor.  And makes more soft the bridal bed.

      It is an active flame, that flies
      First to the babies of the eyes,...

  • My love and I for kisses played:
      She would keep stakes—I was content;
    But when I won, she would be paid;
      This made me ask her what she meant.
    “Pray since I see,” quoth she, “your wrangling vein,
    Take your own kisses; give me mine again.”

  • Now gentle sleep hath closèd up those eyes
    Which, waking, kept my boldest thoughts in awe;
    And free access unto that sweet lip lies,
    From whence I long the rosy breath to draw.
    Methinks no wrong it were, if I should steal
    From those two melting rubies one poor kiss;
    None sees the theft that would the theft reveal,
    Nor rob I her of aught...