A Handful of Pleasant Delights/The Louer complaineth the losse of his Ladie
The Louer complaineth the losse of his Ladie
To Cecilia Pauin.
Eart, what makes thee thus to be,
in extreame heauinesse?
If care do cause all thy distresse,
Why seekest thou not some redresse,
to ease thy carefulnesse?
Hath Cupid stroke in Venerie,
Thy wofull corps in ieoperdie:
right wel then may I sob and crie,
Til that my Mistresse deer, my faith may trie
Why would I cloake from her presence,
My loue and faithfull diligence?
And cowardly thus to die.
And cowardly thus to die.
¶'No no, I wil shew my woe,
in this calamitie.
To her whom Nature shapte so free:
With all Dianaes chastitie,
or Venus rare beautie:
Then shall I brace felicitie,
And liue in all prosperitie.
then leaue off this woe, let teares go,
thou shalt embrace thy Ladie deer with ioy.
In these thy armes so louingly,
As Paris did faire Helenie.
By force of blinded boy.
By force of blinded boy.
¶If Venus would grant vnto me,
such happinesse:
As she did vnto Troylus,
By help of his friend Pandarus,
To Cressids loue who worse,
Than all the women certainly:
That euer liued naturally.
Whose slight falsed faith, the storie saith,
Did breed by plagues, her great and sore distresse,
For she became so leprosie,
That she did die in penurie:
Because she did transgresse.
Because she did transgresse.
¶If she, I saie, wil me regard,
in this my ieoperdie,
I wil shew her fidelitie,
And eke declare her curtesie,
to Louers far and nie:
O heart how happie shouldst thou be,
When my Ladie doth smile on me:
Whose milde merie cheare,
Wel driue away feare,
Cleane from my brest, and set ioy in ye place
when I shall kisse so tenderly:
Her fingers small and slenderly,
which doth my heart solace, &c.
[¶]Therefore ye amorous imps who burne
so stil in Cupids fire,
Let this the force of my retire
Example be to your desire,
That so to loue aspire:
For I did make deniance,
And set her at defiance:
Which made me full wo, it chanced so,
Because I look at my mistresse so coy:
Therefore, when she is merily
Disposed, look you curteously:
Receiue her for your ioy.
Receiue her for your ioy.
Finis.