Power poems
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Astrophel and Stella: 57
© Sir Philip Sidney
Wo, hauing made with many fights his owneEach sense of mine, each gift, each power of mind,Growne now his slaues, he forst them out to findThe thorowest words, fit for woes selfe to grone,Hoping that when they might find Stella alone,Before she could prepare to be vnkind,Her soule arm'd but with such a dainty rind,Should soone be pierc'd with sharpnesse of the mone
Astrophel and Stella: 40
© Sir Philip Sidney
As good to write as for to lie and grone,O Stella deare, how much thy power hath wrought,That hast my mind, none of the basest, broughtMy still stept course, while other sleepe to mone
Astrophel and Stella: 38
© Sir Philip Sidney
This night while sleepe begins with heauy wingsTo hatch mine eyes, and that vnbited thoughtDoth fall to stray, and my chiefe powers are broughtTo leaue the scepter of all subject things
Astrophel and Stella: 34
© Sir Philip Sidney
Come let me write, and to what end? to easeA burth'ned hart, how can words ease, which areThe glasses of thy dayly vexing care?Oft cruell sights well pictured foorth do please
Astrophel and Stella: 32
© Sir Philip Sidney
Morpheus the liuely sonne of deadly sleepe,Witnesse of life to them that liuing die:A Prophet oft, and oft in historie,A Poet eke, as humours fly or creepe,Since thou in me so sure a power doest keepe,That neuer I with close vp sense do lie,But by thy worke (my Stella) I descrie,Teaching blind eyes both how to smile and weepe
Astrophel and Stella: 29
© Sir Philip Sidney
Like some weake Lords, neighbord by mighty kings,To keepe themselues and their chiefe cities free,Do easly yeeld, that all their coasts may beReady to store their campes of needfull things:So Stellas heart finding what power Loue brings,To keepe it selfe in life and liberty,Doth willing graunt, that in the frontiers heVse all to helpe his other conquerings:And thus her heart escapes, but thus her eyesSerue him with shot, her lips his heralds arre:Her breasts his tents, legs his triumphall carre:Her flesh his foode, her skin his armour braue,And I, but for because my prospect liesVpon that coast, am giu'n vp for a slaue
Astrophel and Stella: 27
© Sir Philip Sidney
Because I oft in darke abstracted guise,Seeme most alone in greatest companieWith dearth of words, or answers quite awrie,To them that would make speech of speech arise,They deeme, and of their doome the rumour flies,That poyson foule of bubling pride doth lieSo in my swelling breast that onely IFawne on me selfe, and others do despise:Yet pride I thinke doth not my soule possesse,Which lookes too oft in his vnflattring glasse:But one worse fault Ambition I confesse,That makes me oft my best friends ouer-passe,Vnseene, vnheard, while thought to highest placeBends all his powers, euen vnto Stellas grace
Astrophel and Stella: 12
© Sir Philip Sidney
Cupid, because thou shin'st in Stellas eyes,That from her lockes, thy daunces none scapes free,That those lips sweld, so full of thee they bee,That her sweete breath makes oft thy flames to ryes,That in her breast thy pap well sugred lies,That her Grace gracious makes thy wrongs, that sheWhat words so ere she speake perswades for thee,That her cleare voyce lifts thy fame to the skies
Astrophel and Stella: 10
© Sir Philip Sidney
Reason, in faith thou art well seru'd, that stillWouldst brabling be with sense and loue in me:I rather wisht thee clime the Muses hill,Or reach the fruite of Natures choisest tree,Or seeke heau'ns course, or heau'ns inside to see:Why shouldst thou toyle our thornie soile to till?Leaue sense, and those which senses objects be:Deale thou with powers of thoughts, leaue loue to wil
Astrophel and Stella: 7
© Sir Philip Sidney
When Nature made her chiefe worke, Stellas eyes,In colour blacke, why wrapt she beames so bright?Would she in beamie black, like painter wise,Frame daintiest lustre, mixt of shades and light?Or did she else that sober hue deuise,In object best to knit and strength our sight,Least if no vaile these braue gleames did disguise,They sun-like should more dazle then delight?Or would she her miraculous power show,That whereas blacke seemes Beauties contrary,She euen in blacke doth make all beauties flow?Both so and thus, she minding Loue should bePlaced euer there, gaue him this mourning weed,To honour all their deaths, who for her bleed
Entry
© Shields Carol
Grandpa who died young kepta diary of sorts which was reallyjust a record of the weatheror how often he was obligedto have his roof repairedor when his taxes went upor the latest news of City Hallbut once, a Sunday, in the year 1925he entered a single word: woe
It shimmers uniquely on the ruled pageso small it makes us wonder and squintbut large enough in its inky powerto unsettle his young-manly scriptand throw black doubt on otherprevious entries: weather tip-topor gingko on Crescent Ave
Troilus and Cressida (excerpts): The heavens themselves, the planets, and this centre
© William Shakespeare
The Heavens themselves, the planets, and this centreObserve degree, priority, and place,Insisture, course, proportion, season, form,Office, and custom, in all line of order
Romeo and Juliet (excerpts): The earth that’s Nature’s mother is her tomb
© William Shakespeare
The earth that's Nature's mother is her tomb;What is her burying grave, that is her womb;And from her womb children of divers kindWe sucking on her natural bosom find:Many for many virtues excellent,None but for some, and yet all different
The Merchant of Venice (excerpts): How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank
© William Shakespeare
Lorenzo: How sweet the moonlight sleeps upon this bank; Here will we sit and let the sounds of music Creep in our ears
All's Well that Ends Well (excerpts): Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie
© William Shakespeare
Our remedies oft in ourselves do lie,Which we ascribe to heaven
Marmion: Canto 6
© Sir Walter Scott
Next morn the Baron climb'd the tower,To view afar the Scottish power, Encamp'd on Flodden edge:The white pavilions made a show,Like remnants of the winter snow, Along the dusky ridge
