Brittain's Ida

Ah, foolish lads that strove with lavish waste so fast to spend the time that spends your time as fast.

Among the rest, that all the rest excelled, A dainty boy, their wand, whose harmless years Now in their freshest budding gently swelled.

His nymph-like face ne'er felt the nimble shears.

Youth's downy blossom through his cheek appears.

His lovely limbs, but love he quite discarded, Were made for play, but he no play regarded, And fit love to reward, and with love be rewarded.

High was his forehead, arched with silver mould, where never anger churlish wrinkle dighted his auburn locks hung like dark threads of gold that wanton airs with their fair length incited to play among their wonted curls delighted his smiling eyes with simple truth were stored ah how should truth in those thief eyes be stored which thousand loves had stolen and never one restored his lily cheek might seem an ivory plain more purely white than frozen apennine where lovely bashfulness did sweetly reign in blushing scarlet clothed and purple fine a hundred hearts had this delightful shrine still cold itself inflamed with hot desire that well the face might seem in divers tire to be a burning snow or else a freezing fire his cheerful looks and merry face would prove if eyes the index be where thoughts are read a dainty playfellow for naked love of all the other parts enough is said that they were fit twins for so fair a head thousand boys for him thousand maidens died die they that list for such his rigorous pride he thousand boys a fool and thousand maids denied his joy was not in music sweet delight though well his hand had learnt that cunning art or dainty songs to daintier ears indite but through the plains to chase the nimble heart with well-tuned hounds or with his certain dart the tuskd boar or savage bear to wound meantime his heart with monsters doth abound ah fool to seek so far what nearer might be found his name well known unto those woody shades where unrewarded lovers oft complain them anchises was anchises oft the glades and mountains heard anchises had disdain'd them not all their love one gentle look had gain'd them That rocky hills with echoing noise consenting, Anchises plain'd, but he, no whit relenting, Harder than rocky hills, laugh'd at their vain lamenting.

Canto II.

The Argument.

Dion's garden of delight with wonder holds Anchises sight, While from the bower such music sounds as all his senses near confound.

one day it chanced as he the deer pursued tired with sport and faint with weary play fair venus grove not far away he view'd whose trembling leaves invite him there to stay and in their shades his sweating limbs display there in the cooling glade he softly paces and much delighted with their even spaces what in himself he scorn'd he praised their kind embraces the wood with paphian myrtles peopled whose springing youth felt never winter's spiting to laurels sweet were sweetly marriot doubling their pleasing smells in their uniting when single much much more when mixed delighting no foot of beast durst touch this hallowed place and many a boy that longed the woods to trace entered with fear but soon turned back his frighted face the thick-locked boughs shut out the tell-tale sun for venus hated his all blabbing light since her known fault which oft she wish'd undone and scatter'd rays did make a doubtful sight like to the first of day or last of night the fittest like for lovers gentle play such light best shows the wandring lovers way and guides his erring hand night is loves holiday so far in this sweet labyrinth is stray'd that now he views the garden of delight, whose breast, with thousand painted flowers arrayed, with diverse joy captived his wandering sight.

But soon the eyes rendered the ears their right.

For such strange harmony he seemed to hear that all his senses flocked into his ear, and every faculty wished to be seated there.

From a close bower this dainty music flowed, a bower apparell'd round with divers roses both red and white which by their liveries shew'd their mistress fair that there herself reposes seem'd that would strive with those rare music closes by spreading their fair bosoms to the light which the distracted sense should most delight that wraps the melted ear this both the smell and sight the boy twixt fearful hope and wishing fear crept all along for much he longed to see the bower much more the guest so lodged there and as he goes he marks how well agree nature and art in discord unity each striving who should best perform his part yet art now helping nature nature art while from his ears a voice thus stole his heart fond men whose wretched care the life soon ending by striving to increase your joy to spend it and spending joy yet find no joy in spending you hurt your life by striving to amend it and seeking to prolong it soonest end it and while fit time affords thee time and leisure and joy while yet thou may'st thy life's sweet pleasure too foolish is the man that starves to feed his treasure love is life's end an end but never ending all joys all sweets all happiness awarding love is life's wealth ne'er spent but ever spending more rich by giving taking by discarding love's life's reward rewarded in rewarding Then from thy wretched heart fond care remove, Ah, shouldst thou live but once love's sweets to prove, Thou wilt not love to live, unless thou live to love.

To this sweet voice a dainty music fitted its well-tuned strings, And to her notes consorted, and while with skilful voice the song she ditted, The blabbing echo had her words retorted.

that now the boy beyond his soul transported through all his limbs feels run a pleasant shaking and twixt a hope and fear suspects mistaking and doubts he sleeping dreams and broad awake fears waking canto three the argument there cytherea's limbs beheld the straying lad's heart so enthralled that in a trance his melted sprite leaves th senses slumbering in delight now to the bower he sent his thievish eyes to steal a happy sight there do they find fair venus that within half-naked lies and straight amazed so glorious beauty shined would not return the message to the mind but full of fear and superstitious awe could not retire or back their beams withdraw so fix'd on too much seeing made they nothing saw Her goodly length stretched on a lily bed, a bright foil of a beauty far more bright.

Few roses round about were scattered, as if the lilies learned to blush for spite to see a skin much more than lily white.

The bed sank with delight, so to be pressed, and knew not which to think a chance more blessed, both blessed, so to kiss, and so again be kissed.

Her spacious forehead, like the clearest moon whose full-grown orb begins now to be spent, largely displayed in native silver shone, giving wide room to beauty's regiment, which on the plain with love triumphing went.

Her golden hair, a rope of pearl embraced, which, with their dainty threads oft-times enlaced, made the eye think the pearl was there in gold enchased.

her full large eye in jetty black array'd proved beauty not confin'd to red and white but oft her self in black more rich display'd both contraries did yet themselves unite to make one beauty in different delight a thousand loves sate playing in each eye and smiling mirth kissing fair courtesy by sweet persuasion won a bloodless victory the whitest white set by her silver cheek grew pale and wan like unto heavy lead the freshest purple fresher dies must seek that dares compare with them his fainting red on these cupido winged armies led of little loves that with bold wanton train under those colours marching on the plain force every heart and too low vassalage constrain her lips most happy each in others kisses from their so wish'd embracement seldom parted yet seem'd to blush at such their wanton blisses but when sweet words their joining sweet disparted to the ear a dainty music they imparted upon them fitly sat delightful smiling a thousand souls with pleasing stealth beguiling ah that such shows of joy should be all joys exiling the breath came slowly thence unwilling leaving so sweet a lodge but when she once intended to feast the air with words the heart deceiving more fast it thronged so to be expended, and at each word a hundred loves attended, playing the breath, more sweet than is that firing where that Arabian only bird expiring lives by her death, by loss of breath, more fresh respiring.

Her chin, like to a stone in gold enchased, seemed a fair jewel wrought with cunning hand, and, being double, doubly the face graced this goodly frame on her round neck did stand such pillar well such curious work sustain'd and on his top the heav'nly sphere uprearing might well present the daintier appearing a less but better atlas that their heav'n bearing lower two breasts stand all their beauties bearing two breasts as smooth and soft but ah alas their smoothest softness far exceeds comparing more smooth and soft but not that ever was where they are first deserves the second place yet each as soft and each as smooth as other and when thou first triest one and then the other each softer seems than each and each than each seems smoother between their dainty hemispheres their hemispheres the heavenly globes excelling a path more white than is the name it bears the lacteal path conducts to the sweet dwelling where best delight all joy sits freely dealing where hundred sweets and still fresh joys attending receive in giving and still love to spending, grow richer by their loss, and wealthy by expending.