To His Coy Love

Joshua Sylvester 1563 (England) – 1618



I pray thee, leave, love me no more,
Call home the heart you gave me!
I but in vain that saint adore
Tat can but will not save me.
These poor half-kisses kill me quite
Was ever man thus served?
Amidst an ocean of delight
For pleasure to be starved?
Show me no more those snowy breasts
With azure riveters branched,
Where, whilst mine eye with plenty feasts,
Yet is my thirst not stanched;
O Tantalus, thy pains ne'er tell!
By me thou art prevented:
'Tis nothing to be plagued in Hell,
But thus in Heaven tormented.
Clip me no more in those dear arms,
Nor thy life's comfort call me,
O these are but too powerful charms,
And do but more enthral me!
But see how patient I am grown
In all this coil about thee:
Come, nice thing, let thy heart alone,
I cannot live without thee!

 

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

45 sec read
69

Quick analysis:

Scheme ABABCDCEFGHGIJIJKBKBLBLB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 759
Words 151
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 24

Joshua Sylvester

Joshua Sylvester was an English poet. more…

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