EPITHALAMION The night is come, now soon her disaray, Lay her in lillies and in violets, Like unto Maia, when as Jove her took And leave my love alone, And leave likewise your former lay to sing: The woods no more shall answere, nor your eccho ring. Now welcome, night! thou night so long expected, And in thy sable mantle us enwrap, From feare of perrill and foule horror free. But let the night be calme, and quietsome, EPITHALAMION Or lyke as when he with thy selfe did lie And begot Majesty. And let the mayds and yong men cease to sing; Ne let the woods them answer nor theyr eccho ring. Let no lamenting cryes, nor dolefull teares, Ne let house-fyres, nor lightnings helpelesse harmes, Ne let hob Goblins, names whose sence we see not, Let not the shriech Oule or the Storke be heard, Ne let th' unpleasant Quyre of Frogs still croking Let none of these theyr drery accents sing; Ne let the woods them answer, nor theyr eccho ring. But let stil Silence trew night-watches keepe, And tymely Sleep, when it is tyme to sleepe, Like divers-fethered doves, EPITHALAMION Shall fly and flutter round about your bed, To filch away sweet snatches of delight, Conceald through covert night. Ye sonnes of Venus, play your sports at will! Now none doth hinder you, that say or sing; Ne will the woods now answer, nor your Eccho ring. Who is the same, which at my window peepes? But walkes about high heaven al the night? O! fayrest goddesse, do thou not envy My love with me to spy: For thou likewise didst love, though now unthought, And for a fleece of wooll, which privily The Latmian shepherd once unto thee brought, His pleasures with thee wrought. Therefore to us be favorable now; And sith of wemens labours thou hast charge, And generation goodly dost enlarge, Encline thy will t' effect our wishfull vow, And the chast wombe informe with timely seed, EPITHALAMION Till which we cease our hopefull hap to sing; And thou, great Juno! which with awful might And the religion of the faith first plight Eternally bind thou this lovely band, And thou, glad Genius! in whose gentle hand And the sweet pleasures of theyr loves delight Til which we cease your further prayse to sing; And ye high heavens, the temple of the gods, Poure out your blessing on us plentiously, MARRIAGE And happy influence upon us raine, Which from the earth, which they may long possesse With lasting happinesse, Up to your haughty pallaces may mount; And, for the guerdon of theyr glorious merit, Of blessed Saints for to increase the count. Song! made in lieu of many ornaments, With which my love should duly have been dect, Ye would not stay your dew time to expect, Be unto her a goodly ornament, And for short time an endlesse moniment. EDMUND SPENSER M Marriage ARRIAGE is a school and exercise of virtue ; and though marriage hath cares, yet the single life hath desires, which are more troublesome and more dangerous, and often end in sin; while the cares are but instances of duty and exercises of piety; and therefore if single life hath more privacy of devotion, yet marriage hath more necessities and more variety of it, and is an exercise of more graces. |