Thousand Sands

The sea hath many thousand sands,
The sun hath motes as many;
The sky is full of stars, and love
As full of woes as any:
Believe me, that do know the elf,
And make no trial by thyself.

It is in truth a pretty toy

For babes to play withal; But O the honies of our youth Are oft our age's gall!

Self-proof in time will make thee know He was a prophet told thee so:

A prophet that, Cassandra-like,
Tells truth without belief;

For headstrong youth will run his race,
Although his goal be grief:

Love's martyr, when his heat is past,
Proves Care's confessor at the last.

Love Winged my
Hopes and Taught
Me how to Fly

Love winged my hopes and taught me how to fly

Far from base earth, but not to mount too high:

For true pleasure

Lives in measure,

Which if men forsake,

Blinded they into folly run and grief for pleasure take.

But my vain hopes, proud of their newtaught flight,

Enamoured sought to woo the sun's fair light,

Whose rich brightness
Moved their lightness
To aspire so high

That all scorched and consumed with fire now drowned in woe they lie.

And none but Love their woeful hap did

rue,

For Love did know that their desires were

true;

Though Fate frowned

And now drowned

They in sorrow dwell,

It was the purest light of heaven for whose fair love they fell.

Now have I
Learned with Much

Ado at Last

Now have I learned with much ado at last By true disdain to kill desire;

This was the mark at which I shot so fast, Unto this height I did aspire:

Proud Love, now do thy worst and spare not,

For thee and all thy shafts I care not.

What hast thou left wherewith to move my mind?

What life to quicken dead desire?

I count thy words and oaths as light as wind,

I feel no heat in all thy fire:

Go, change thy bow and get a stronger, Go, break thy shafts and buy thee longer.

In vain thou bait'st thy hook with beauty's blaze,

In vain thy wanton eyes allure;

(B 325)

49

E

These are but toys for them that love to

gaze,

I know what harm thy looks procure: Some strange conceit must be devised, Or thou and all thy skill despised.