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And 'gainst myself a lawful plea commence: `
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Such civil war is in my love and hate, `
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That I an accessary needs must be, `
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To that sweet thief which sourly robs from me. `
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XXXVI `
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Let me confess that we two must be twain, `
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Although our undivided loves are one: `
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So shall those blots that do with me remain, `
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Without thy help, by me be borne alone. `
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In our two loves there is but one respect, `
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Though in our lives a separable spite, `
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Which though it alter not love's sole effect, `
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Yet doth it steal sweet hours from love's delight. `
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I may not evermore acknowledge thee, `
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Lest my bewailed guilt should do thee shame, `
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Nor thou with public kindness honour me, `
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Unless thou take that honour from thy name: `
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But do not so, I love thee in such sort, `
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As thou being mine, mine is thy good report. `
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XXXVII `
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As a decrepit father takes delight `
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To see his active child do deeds of youth, `
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So I, made lame by Fortune's dearest spite, `
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Take all my comfort of thy worth and truth; `
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For whether beauty, birth, or wealth, or wit, `
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Or any of these all, or all, or more, `
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Entitled in thy parts, do crowned sit, `
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I make my love engrafted, to this store: `
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So then I am not lame, poor, nor despis'd, `
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Whilst that this shadow doth such substance give `
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That I in thy abundance am suffic'd, `
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And by a part of all thy glory live. `
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Look what is best, that best I wish in thee: `
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This wish I have; then ten times happy me! `
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XXXVIII `
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How can my muse want subject to invent, `
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While thou dost breathe, that pour'st into my verse `
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Thine own sweet argument, too excellent `
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For every vulgar paper to rehearse? `
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O! give thy self the thanks, if aught in me `
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Worthy perusal stand against thy sight; `
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For who's so dumb that cannot write to thee, `
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When thou thy self dost give invention light? `
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Be thou the tenth Muse, ten times more in worth `
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Than those old nine which rhymers invocate; `
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And he that calls on thee, let him bring forth `
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Eternal numbers to outlive long date. `
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If my slight muse do please these curious days, `
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The pain be mine, but thine shall be the praise. `
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XXXIX `
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O! how thy worth with manners may I sing, `
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When thou art all the better part of me? `
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What can mine own praise to mine own self bring? `
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And what is't but mine own when I praise thee? `
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Even for this, let us divided live, `
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And our dear love lose name of single one, `
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That by this separation I may give `
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That due to thee which thou deserv'st alone. `
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O absence! what a torment wouldst thou prove, `
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Were it not thy sour leisure gave sweet leave, `
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To entertain the time with thoughts of love, `
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Which time and thoughts so sweetly doth deceive, `
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And that thou teachest how to make one twain, `
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By praising him here who doth hence remain. `
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XL `
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Take all my loves, my love, yea take them all; `
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What hast thou then more than thou hadst before? `
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No love, my love, that thou mayst true love call; `
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All mine was thine, before thou hadst this more. `
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Then, if for my love, thou my love receivest, `
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I cannot blame thee, for my love thou usest; `
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But yet be blam'd, if thou thy self deceivest `
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By wilful taste of what thyself refusest. `
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I do forgive thy robbery, gentle thief, `
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Although thou steal thee all my poverty: `
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And yet, love knows it is a greater grief `
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To bear greater wrong, than hate's known injury. `
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Lascivious grace, in whom all ill well shows, `
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Kill me with spites yet we must not be foes. `
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XLI `
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Those pretty wrongs that liberty commits, `
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When I am sometime absent from thy heart, `
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Thy beauty, and thy years full well befits, `
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For still temptation follows where thou art. `
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Gentle thou art, and therefore to be won, `
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Beauteous thou art, therefore to be assail'd; `
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And when a woman woos, what woman's son `
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Will sourly leave her till he have prevail'd? `
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Ay me! but yet thou mightst my seat forbear, `
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And chide thy beauty and thy straying youth, `
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Who lead thee in their riot even there `
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Where thou art forced to break a twofold truth:-- `
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Hers by thy beauty tempting her to thee, `
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Thine by thy beauty being false to me. `
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XLII `
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That thou hast her it is not all my grief, `
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And yet it may be said I loved her dearly; `
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That she hath thee is of my wailing chief, `
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A loss in love that touches me more nearly. `
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Loving offenders thus I will excuse ye: `
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Thou dost love her, because thou know'st I love her; `
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And for my sake even so doth she abuse me, `
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Suffering my friend for my sake to approve her. `
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If I lose thee, my loss is my love's gain, `
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And losing her, my friend hath found that loss; `
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Both find each other, and I lose both twain, `
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And both for my sake lay on me this cross: `
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But here's the joy; my friend and I are one; `
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Sweet flattery! then she loves but me alone. `
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XLIII `
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When most I wink, then do mine eyes best see, `
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For all the day they view things unrespected; `
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But when I sleep, in dreams they look on thee, `
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And darkly bright, are bright in dark directed. `
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Then thou, whose shadow shadows doth make bright, `
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How would thy shadow's form form happy show `
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To the clear day with thy much clearer light, `
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When to unseeing eyes thy shade shines so! `
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How would, I say, mine eyes be blessed made `
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By looking on thee in the living day, `
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When in dead night thy fair imperfect shade `
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Through heavy sleep on sightless eyes doth stay! `
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All days are nights to see till I see thee, `
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And nights bright days when dreams do show thee me. `
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XLIV `
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If the dull substance of my flesh were thought, `
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Injurious distance should not stop my way; `
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For then despite of space I would be brought, `
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From limits far remote, where thou dost stay. `
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No matter then although my foot did stand `
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Upon the farthest earth remov'd from thee; `
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For nimble thought can jump both sea and land, `
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As soon as think the place where he would be. `
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But, ah! thought kills me that I am not thought, `
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To leap large lengths of miles when thou art gone, `
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But that so much of earth and water wrought, `
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I must attend, time's leisure with my moan; `
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Receiving nought by elements so slow `
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But heavy tears, badges of either's woe. `
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XLV `
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The other two, slight air, and purging fire `
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Are both with thee, wherever I abide; `
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The first my thought, the other my desire, `
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These present-absent with swift motion slide. `
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For when these quicker elements are gone `
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In tender embassy of love to thee, `
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My life, being made of four, with two alone `
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Sinks down to death, oppress'd with melancholy; `
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Until life's composition be recur'd `
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By those swift messengers return'd from thee, `
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Who even but now come back again, assur'd, `
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Of thy fair health, recounting it to me: `
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This told, I joy; but then no longer glad, `
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I send them back again, and straight grow sad. `
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XLVI `
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Mine eye and heart are at a mortal war, `
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How to divide the conquest of thy sight; `
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Mine eye my heart thy picture's sight would bar, `
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My heart mine eye the freedom of that right. `
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My heart doth plead that thou in him dost lie,-- `
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A closet never pierc'd with crystal eyes-- `
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But the defendant doth that plea deny, `
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And says in him thy fair appearance lies. `
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To side this title is impannelled `
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A quest of thoughts, all tenants to the heart; `
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And by their verdict is determined `
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The clear eye's moiety, and the dear heart's part: `
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As thus; mine eye's due is thy outward part, `
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And my heart's right, thy inward love of heart. `
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XLVII `
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Betwixt mine eye and heart a league is took, `
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And each doth good turns now unto the other: `
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When that mine eye is famish'd for a look, `
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Or heart in love with sighs himself doth smother, `
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With my love's picture then my eye doth feast, `
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And to the painted banquet bids my heart; `
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Another time mine eye is my heart's guest, `
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