Tixall Poetry/To Love

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Tixall Poetry
edited by Arthur Clifford
To Love by unknown author
4306911Tixall PoetryTo Loveunknown author

XLIII.

To Love.


O Love, if ere thou'dst ease a hart
That ownes thy power devine,
That bleeds with thy to cruell dart,
And pants with never-dying smart,
  Take pitty now on mine.
Under thy shades I fainting lie,
A thousand times I wish to die,
But when I think cold death draws nigh
I grieve to loose my pleasing paine,
And call my wishes back againe.

But thus as I sat all alone,
Ith shady mirtle grove,
And to each gentle sigh and moane,
Some neighbouring eccho gave a grone,
Came by the man I love:
O! how I strove my griefs to hide,
I fainted, blusht, and almost dide—
And did each tattling eccho chide,
For fear some breath of neighboring aire
Should to his eares my sorrowes beare.

But, O ye Powers, ide die to gaine
But one poore parting kisse,
And yet ide lie on racks of paine
Ere ide a thought or wish obtaine
  That honour thinks amiss.
Thus are poor maids unkindly used
By Love and Nature both abused—
And tender harts all ease refused;
And when we burn with secret flame,
Must die with grief or live with shame.