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Of our sins, with direful fury,

'Gainst our souls black verdicts give,
Christ pleads his death, and then we live.
Be thou my speaker, taintless pleader,
Unblotted lawyer, true proceeder!
Thou giv'st salvation even for alms-
Not with a bribed lawyer's palms.
And this is mine eternal plea

To Him that made heaven, earth, and sea,
That since my flesh must die so soon,

And want a head to dine next noon,

Just at the stroke when my veins start and spread,
Set on my soul an everlasting head:

Then am I, like a palmer, fit

To tread those blest paths which before I writ.
Of death and judgment, heaven and hell,
Who oft doth think, must needs die well.

Edmund Spenser.

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Born 1553.

Died 1599.

SPENSER was one of the great men who, from age to age, mark out the general course of poetry, and who take a place among the few selected from the illustrious of every age, whom we look up to as the instructors of all time. He claimed to be descended from a noble family, though the chief evidence of the truth of the assertion is, that he took his place in Queen Elizabeth's court as a gentleman of birth. He was born in East Smithfield about the year 1553, in humble circumstances. In his sixteenth year he was entered as a sizar at Cambridge, where he continued seven years, and where he took the degree of A.M. After leaving Cambridge he obtained an introduction to Sir Philip Sidney, to whom he dedicated his first poem, "The Shepherd's Calendar," published in 1579. He seems to have been employed at court, much to his distaste, on various state missions, and experienced much of the discomfort of a hanger-on. In 1580, however, he was appointed Secretary to the Viceroy of Ireland; and six years afterwards he obtained a grant of forfeited land in the county of Cork, where he fixed his residence in the Old Castle of Kilcolman. Here he brought home his wife, the "Elizabeth" of his sonnets; and here he wrote the greater part of his immortal poem, the Faery Queen. The first part was published in 1589, and met with an enthusiastic reception. Queen Elizabeth at once settled a pension of L.50 a year on the poet. In 1596 the second part of the Faery Queen issued from the press. It was intended to have been continued, but was never completed. But fortune, which had so long befriended him, now changed; the Tyrone rebellion broke out in 1598, his house was burned by the rebels, and his infant child perished in the flames. He had to flee with his wife to England in the greatest destitution, and, dejected and heart-broken, he died in the following year, in the forty-fifth year of his age, in a small lodging in London.

"The

His remains were laid beside those of Chaucer in Poet's Corner. term Faery is used by Spenser to denote something existing in the regions of fancy, and the Faery Queen is the impersonation of glory; the knights of Faeryland are the twelve virtues, who are the champions of the queen."

UNA AND THE RED-CROSS KNIGHT.

A GENTLE knight was pricking on the plaine,
Ycladd in mightie armes and silver shielde,
Wherein old dints of deepe woundes did remaine,
The cruel markes of many a bloody fielde;
Yet armes till that time did he never wield :
His angry steede did chide his foming bitt,
As much disdayning to the curbe to yield:
Full jolly knight he seemed, and faire did sit,

spurring

As one for knightly giusts and fierce encounters fitt. jousts And on his brest a bloodie crosse he bore,

The deare remembrance of his dying Lord,

For whose sweete sake that glorious badge he wore,
And dead, as living ever, him adored :
Upon his shield the like was also scored,
For soveraine hope, which in his helpe he had.
Right faithfull, true he was in deede and word;
But of his cheere did seeme too solemne sad;
Yet nothing did he dread, but ever was ydrad.

Upon a great adventure he was bond,

That greatest Gloriana to him gave

(That greatest, glorious Queene of Faery-lond),
To winne him worshippe, and her grace to have,
Which of all earthly things he most did crave :
And ever, as he rode, his hart did earne
To prove his puissance in battell brave
Upon his foe, and his new force to learne
Upon his foe, a dragon horrible and stearne.
A lovely ladie rode him faire beside,

Upon a lowly asse more white then snow;
Yet she much whiter; but the same did hide
Under a vele, that wimpled was full low;
And over all a blacke stole shee did throw,
As one that inly mournd; so was she sad,
And heavie sate upon her palfrey slow;
Seeméd in heart some hidden care she had;
And by her in a line a milke-white lambe she lad.

dreaded

yearn

folded

robe

So pure and innocent, as that same lambe,
She was in life and every vertuous lore;
And by descent from royall lynage came
Of ancient kinges and queenes, that had of yore
Their scepters stretcht from east to westerne shore,
And all the world in their subjection held;
Till that infernal feend, with foule uprore,
Forwasted all their land, and them expeld;

Whom to avenge, she had this knight from far compeld. called

Behind her farre away a dwarfe did lag,
That lasie seemd, in being ever last,

Or weariéd with bearing of her bag

Of needments at his backe. Thus as they past,
The day with cloudes was suddeine overcast,
And angry Iove an hideous storme of raine
Did poure into his lemans lap so fast,

sweetheart

That everie wight to shroud it did constrain;
And this faire couple eke to shroud themselves were fain.
Enforst to seeke some covert nigh at hand,
A shadie grove not farr away they spide,
That promist ayde the tempest to withstand;
Whose loftie trees, yclad with sommers pride,
Did spred so broad, that heavens light did hide,
Not perceable with power of any starr;
And all within were pathes and alleies wide,
With footing worne, and leading inward farr:
Faire harbour that them seems; so in they entred ar.

And foorth they passe, with pleasure forward led,
Joying to heare the birdes sweete harmony,
Which therein shrouded from the tempest dred,
Seemed in their song to scorne the cruell sky.
Much can they praise the trees so straight and hy,
The sayling Pine, the Cedar proud and tall,
The vine-propp Elme, the Poplar never dry,
The builder Oake, sole king of forrests all,
The Aspine good for staves, the Cypresse funerall ;
The Laurell, meed of mightie conquerours,
And poets sage; the Firre that weepeth still;
The Willow, worne of forlorne paramours,
The Eugh, obedient to the benders will,
The Birch for shafts, the Sallow for the mill,

forsaken lovers

yew

The Mirrhe sweete-bleeding in the bitter wound,
The warlike Beech, the Ash for nothing ill,
The fruitful Olive, and the Platane round,
The carver Holme, the Maple seldom inward sound.

plane

oak

Led with delight, they thus beguile the way,
Untill the blustering storme is overblowne;
When, weening to returne, whence they did stray, thinking
They cannot find that path, which first was showne,
But wander too and fro in waies unknowne,
Furthest from end then, when they neerest weene,
That makes them doubt their wits be not their own;
So many pathes, so many turnings seene,

That which of them to take in diverse doubt they been.

UNA AND THE LION.

ONE day, nigh wearie of the yrksome way,
From her unhastie beast she did alight;
And on the grasse her dainty limbs did lay
In secrete shadow, far from all men's sight;
From her fayre head her fillet she undight,
And layd her stole aside: her angel's face,
As the great eye of heaven, shyned bright,
And made a sunshine in the shady place :
Did never mortal eye behold such heavenly grace.
It fortunéd, out of the thickest wood

A ramping lyon rushéd suddenly,
Hunting full greedy after salvage blood;
Soone as the royall virgin he did spy,
With gaping mouth at her ran greedily,
To have attonce devourd her tender corse:
But to the pray when as he drew more ny,
His bloody rage as wagéd, with remorse,
And, with the sight amazed, forgat his furious forse.
Instead thereof he kist her weary feet,

And lickt her lily hands with fawning tong;
As he her wronged innocence did weet.

O how can beautie maister the most strong,
And simple truth subdue avenging wrong!
Whose yielded pride and proud submission,
Still dreading death, when she had markéd long,
Her heart gan melt in great compassion;
And drizling teares did shed for pure affection.

untied

robe

at once

prey

know

"The lyon, lord of everie beast in field,"

Quoth she, "his princely puissance doth abate, And mightie proud to humble weake does yield, Forgetfull of the hungry rage, which late Him prickt, in pittie of my sad estate :But he, my lyon, and my noble lord, How does he find in cruell hart to hate Her, that him loved, and ever most adord As the god of my life? why hath he me abhord?” Redounding tears did choke th' end of her plaint, Which softly ecchoed from the neighbour wood; And, sad to see her sorrowful constraint, The kingly beast upon her gazing stood; With pittie calmd, downe fell his angry mood. At last, in close hart shutting up her payne, Arose the virgin borne of heavenly brood, And to her snowy palfrey got agayne,

To seeke her strayéd champion if she might attayne. The lyon would not leave her desolate,

But with her went along, as a strong gard Of her chast person, and a faythfull mate Of her sad troubles and misfortunes hard: Still, when she slept, he kept both watch and ward; And when she wakt, he wayted diligent, With humble service to her will prepard; From her fayre eyes he took commandément, And ever by her lookes conceived her intent.

THE MINISTRY OF ANGELS.

And is there care in heaven? And is there love
In heavenly spirits to these creatures base,
That may compassion of their evils move?
There is :-else much more wretched were the case
Of men then beasts: but O the exceeding grace
Of Highest God! that loves his creatures so,
And all his workes with mercy doth embrace,
That blessed angels he sends to and fro,
To serve to wicked man, to serve his wicked foe!
How oft do they their silver bowers leave,
To come to succour us that succour want!
How oft do they with goldon pinions cleave

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