Astrophel. A Pastorall Elegie upon the Death of the Most Noble and Most Valorous Knight, SIR PHILIP SIDNEY. Dedicated to the Most Beautifull and Vertuous Ladie, the Countess of Essex. BY EDMUND SPENSER. 1 Shepheards, that wont, on pipes of oaten reed, Hearken, ye gentle shepheards, to my song, To you alone I sing this mournfull verse, The mournfullst verse that ever man heard tell: To you I sing and to none other 3 wight, Yet as they been, if any 5 nycer wit Shall hap to heare, or covet them to read: Let him be moov'd to pity such a case. A gentle Shepheard borne in Arcady, Of gentlest race that ever shepheard bore, Did keepe his sheep, his litle 9 stock and store. Full carefully he kept them day and night, ΙΟ 20 Young Astrophel, the pride of shepheards praise, In all that seemly shepheard might behove. That he was not so happie as the rest. For from the time that first 11 the Nymph, his mother, Him forth did bring, and taught her lambs to feed; A sclender swaine, excelling far 12 each other, In comely shape, like her that did him breed, Which daily more and more he did augment, His sports were faire, his ioyance innocent, As For 16 he could pipe, and daunce, and caroll sweet, Full many Maydens often did him woo, Them to vouchsafe emongst his rimes to name, Or make for them as he was wont to doo 18 For her that did his heart with love inflame. And 19 many a Nymph both of the wood and brooke, Both christall wells and shadie groves forsooke To heare the charmes of his enchanting skill; But he for none of them did care a whit, Yet 21 Woodgods for them often sighéd sore; Ne for their gifts unworthie of his wit, Yet not unworthie of the countries store. For one alone he cared, for one he sigh't His lifes desire, and his deare loves delight. Stella the faire, the fairest star in skie, As faire as Venus or the 22 fairest faire, (A fairer star saw never living eie,) Shot her sharp pointed beames through purest aire. Her he did love, her he alone did honor, His thoughts, his rimes, his songs were all upon her. To her he vowd the service of his daies, On her he spent the riches of his wit; For her he made 23 hymnes of immortall praise, 40 50 60 70 Ne her with ydle words alone he wowed, And verses vaine, (yet verses are not vaine,) But with brave deeds to her sole service vowed, And bold atchievements her did entertaine. For both in deeds and words he nourtred was, Both wise and 24 hardie, (too hardie alas!) In wrestling nimble, and in renning swift, In shooting steddie, and in swimming strong; Well made to strike, to throw, to leape, to lift, And all the sports that shepheards are emong. In every one he vanquisht every one, He vanquisht all, and vanquisht was of none. Besides, in hunting such felicitie 80 Or rather infelicitie he found, That every field and forest far away He sought where 25 salvage beasts do most abound. No beast so salvage but he could it kill, No chace so hard, but he therein had skill. Such skill, matcht with such courage as he had, His mistresse name, and his own fame, to raise. What needeth perill to be sought abroad, 90 Since round about us it 27 doth make aboad? It fortuned, as he that perilous game Where store he heard to be of salvage pray. So wide a forest and so waste as this, There his welwoven toyles, and subtil traines, Eftsoones, all heedlesse of his dearest 31 hale, His care was all how he them all might kill, 100 That none might scape, (so partiall unto none :) As to become unmyndfull of his owne. But pardon that unto the cruell skies, That from himselfe to them withdrew his eies. So as he rag'd emongst the beastly rout, A cruell beast of most accursed brood 36 Launched his thigh with so mischievous might, So deadly was the dint and deep the wound, But on the cold deare earth himselfe did throw; I 20 |