• Mine eye and heart are at a mortal war,
    How to divide the conquest of thy sight;
    Mine eye my heart thy picture’s sight would bar,
    My heart mine eye the freedom of that right.
    My heart doth plead that thou in him dost lie,
    A closet never pierc’d with crystal eyes
    But the defendant doth that plea deny,
    And says in him thy fair appearance lies.
    To side...

  • That time of year thou mayst in me behold
    When yellow leaves, or none, or few, do hang
    Upon those boughs which shake against the cold,
    Bare ruin’d choirs, where late the sweet birds sang.
    In me thou see’st the twilight of such day
    As after sunset fadeth in the west;
    Which by and by black night doth take away,
    Death’s second self, that seals up all in rest....

  • In faith I do not love thee with mine eyes,
    For they in thee a thousand errors note;
    But ’tis my heart that loves what they despise,
    Who, in despite of view, is pleased to dote.
    Nor are mine ears with thy tongue’s tune delighted;
    Nor tender feeling, to base touches prone,
    Nor taste, nor smell, desire to be invited
    To any sensual feast with thee alone:
    ...

  • Cupid laid by his brand and fell asleep:
    A maid of Dian’s this advantage found,
    And his love-kindling fire did quickly steep
    In a cold valley-fountain of that ground;
    Which borrow’d from this holy fire of Love,
    A dateless lively heat, still to endure,
    And grew a seeting bath, which yet men prove
    Against strange maladies a sovereign cure.
    But at my...

  • I've oft been told by learned friars,
    That wishing and the crime are one,
    And Heaven punishes desires
    As much as if the deed were done.

    If wishing damns us, you and I
    Are damned to all our heart's content;
    Come, then, at least we may enjoy
    Some pleasure for our punishment!

  • 'Twas a new feeling - something more
    Than we had dared to own before,
    Which then we hid not;
    We saw it in each other's eye,
    And wished, in every half-breathed sigh,
    To speak, but did not.

    She felt my lips' impassioned touch -
    'Twas the first time I dared so much,
    And yet she chid not;
    But whispered o'er my burning brow,
    'Oh, do you doubt I...

  • When as the rye reach to the chin,
    And chopcherry, chopcherry ripe within,
    Strawberries swimming in the cream,
    And school-boys playing in the stream;
    Then O, then O, then O my true love said,
    Till that time come again,
    She could not live a maid.

  • There is a garden in her face
    Where roses and white lilies blow;
    A heavenly paradise is that place,
    Wherein all pleasant fruits do flow:
    There cherries grow which none may buy
    Till 'Cherry-ripe' themselves do cry.

    Those cherries fairly do enclose
    Of orient pearl a double row,
    Which when her lovely laughter shows,...

  • Love me little, love me long,
    Is the burden of my song.
    Love that is too hot and strong
    Burneth soon to waste.
    Still, I would not have thee cold,
    Not too backward, nor too bold;
    Love that lasteth till 'tis old
    Fadeth not in haste.
    Love me little, love me long,
    Is the burden of my song.

    If thou lovest me too...

  • Come away, come, sweet love,
    The golden morning breaks,
    All the earth, all the air
    Of love and pleasure speaks,
    Teach thine arms then to embrace,
    And sweet rosy lips to kiss,
    And mix our souls in mutual bliss.
    Eyes were made for beauty's grace,
    Viewing, rueing love's long pain,
    Procur'd by beauty's rude disdain.

    Come away, come, sweet...