One moment so I saw them
Come back with time full tide,
The host of girls, your grannies,
Who lived and loved and died
To give your mouth its beauty,
Your soul its gentle pride,
Who wrestled with the ages
To give the world a bride.

RALPH HODGSON.

BOOK III

EPITHALAMION

YE learned sisters which haue oftentimes
Beene to me ayding, others to adorne:

Whom ye thought worthy of your gracefull rymes,
That euen the greatest did not greatly scorne
To heare theyr names sung in your simple layes,
But ioyed in theyr prayse.

And when ye list your owne mishaps to mourne,
Which death, or loue, or fortunes wreck did rayse,
Your string could soone to sadder tenor turne,
And teach the woods and waters to lament
Your dolefull dreriment.

Now lay those sorrowfull complaints aside,
And hauing all your heads with girland crownd,
Helpe me mine owne loues prayses to resound,
Ne let the same of any be enuide:
So Orpheus did for his owne bride,
So I vnto my selfe alone will sing,

The woods shall to me answer and my Eccho ring.

Early before the worlds light giuing lampe,
His golden beame vpon the hils doth spred,
Hauing disperst the nights vnchearefull dampe,
Doe ye awake, and with fresh lusty hed,
Go to the bowre of my beloued loue,

My truest turtle doue,

Bid her awake; for Hymen is awake,

And long since ready forth his maske to moue,

With his bright Tead that flames with many a flake, And many a bachelor to waite on him,

In theyr fresh garments trim.

Bid her awake therefore and soone her dight,

For lo the wished day is come at last,

That shall for al the paynes and sorrowes past,
Pay to her vsury of long delight:

And whylest she doth her dight,
Doe ye to her ioy and solace sing,

That all the woods may answer and your eccho ring.

Bring with you all the Nymphes that you can heare
Both of the riuers and the forrests greene:
And of the sea that neighbours to her neare,
Al with gay girlands goodly wel beseene.
And let them also with them bring in hand,
Another gay girland

For my fayre loue of lillyes and of roses,
Bound trueloue wize with a blew silke riband.
And let them make great store of bridale poses,
And let them eke bring store of other flowers
To deck the bridale bowers.

And let the ground whereas her foot shall tread,
For feare the stones her tender foot should wrong
Be strewed with fragrant flowers all along,

And diapred lyke the discolored mead.
Which done, doe at her chamber dore awayt,

For she will waken strayt,

The whiles doe ye this song vnto her sing,

The woods shall to you answer and your Eccho ring.

Ye Nymphes of Mulla which with carefull heed,
The siluer scaly trouts doe tend full well,

And greedy pikes which vse therein to feed,
(Those trouts and pikes all others doo excell)
And ye likewise which keepe the rushy lake,
Where none doo fishes take,

Bynd vp the locks the which hang scatterd light,
And in his waters which your mirror make,
Behold your faces as the christall bright,

That when you come whereas my loue doth lie,
No blemish she may spie.

And eke ye lightfoot mayds which keepe the deere,
That on the hoary mountayne vse to towre

And the wylde wolues which seeke them to deuoure, With your steele darts doo chace from comming neer Be also present heere,

To helpe to decke her and to help to sing,

That all the woods may answer and your eccho ring.

Wake, now my loue, awake; for it is time,
The Rosy Morne long since left Tithones bed,
All ready to her siluer coche to clyme,

And Phoebus gins to shew his glorious hed.

Hark how the cheerefull birds do chaunt theyr laies And carroll of loues praise.

The merry Larke hir mattins sings aloft,

The thrush replyes, the Mauis descant playes,
The Ouzell shrills, the Ruddock warbles soft,
So goodly all agree with sweet consent,

To this dayes merriment.

Ah my deere loue why doe ye sleepe thus long,
When meeter were that ye should now awake,
T'awayt the comming of your ioyous make,
And hearken to the birds louelearned song,
The deawy leaues among.

For they of ioy and pleasance to you sing, That all the woods them answer and theyr eccho ring.

My loue is now awake out of her dreame,

And her fayre eyes like stars that dimmed were With darksome cloud, now shew theyr goodly beams

More bright then Hesperus his head doth rere.
Come now ye damzels, daughters of delight,
Helpe quickly her to dight,

But first come ye fayre houres which were begot
In loues sweet paradice, of Day and Night,
Which doe the seasons of the yeare allot,
And al that euer in this world is fayre
Doe make and still repayre.

And ye three handmayds of the Cyprian Queene,
The which doe still adorne her beauties pride,
Helpe to addorne my beautifullest bride:

And as ye her array, still throw betweene

Some graces to be seene,

And as ye vse to Venus, to her sing,

The whiles the woods shal answer and your eccho ring.

Now is my loue all ready forth to come,
Let all the virgins therefore well awayt,

And ye fresh boyes that tend vpon her groome
Prepare your selues; for he is comming strayt.
Set all your things in seemely good aray
Fit for so ioyfull day,

The ioyfulst day that euer sunne did see.

Faire Sun, shew forth thy fauourable ray,