WHILE I LISTEN TO THY VOICE. 1 WHILE I listen to thy voice, Chloris! I feel my life decay; Calls my fleeting soul away. 2 Peace, Chloris! peace! or singing die, To heaven may go; For all we know Of what the blessed do above, Is, that they sing, and that they love. GO, LOVELY ROSE! 1 Go, lovely Rose! Tell her that wastes her time and me, When I resemble her to thee, How sweet and fair she seems to be. 2 Tell her that's young, And shuns to have her graces spied, That hadst thou sprung In deserts, where no men abide, 3 Small is the worth Of beauty from the light retired; Suffer herself to be desired, And not blush so to be admired. 4 Then die! that she The common fate of all things rare How small a part of time they share SUNG BY MRS KNIGHT TO HER MAJESTY, ON HER BIRTHDAY. THIS happy day two lights are seen, Of your bless'd life among us here! An hundred times may you, Matchless queen': Queen Catherine was born on the day set apart in the calendar for the commemoration of the martyrdom of St Catherine. SONG. 1 SAY, lovely dream! where couldst thou find Shades to counterfeit that face? Colours of this glorious kind Come not from any mortal place. 2 In heaven itself thou sure wert dress'd With that angel-like disguise: Thus deluded am I bless'd, And see my joy with closed eyes. 3 But, ah! this image is too kind To be other than a dream; Cruel Saccharissa's mind Never put on that sweet extreme! 4 Fair dream! if thou intend'st me grace, Change that heavenly face of thine; Paint despised love in thy face, And make it to appear like mine. 5 Pale, wan, and meagre let it look, With a pity-moving shape, Such as wander by the brook Of Lethe, or from graves escape. 6 Then to that matchless nymph appear, In whose shape thou shinest so; Softly in her sleeping ear, With humble words, express my woe. 7 Perhaps from greatness, state, and pride, Thus surprised she may fall; Sleep does disproportion hide, And, death resembling, equals all. PROLOGUES AND EPILOGUES. PROLOGUE FOR THE LADY-ACTORS. SPOKEN BEFORE KING CHARLES II. AMAZE us not with that majestic frown, But lay aside the greatness of your crown! Such as we see great Jove's in picture, while Or judges of the songs he does inspire. In our own clothes more serious and more wise. If we act well the parts to which we're born. PROLOGUE TO TIIEMAID'S TRAGEDY.'1 SCARCE should we have the boldness to pretend Maid's Tragedy': Waller altered this tragedy without success. 10 In both our English genius is express'd; Above our neighbours our conceptions are; Thus says our author, not content to see In this old play, what's new we have express'd 1 'Marble last': these lines occur in a previous poem. 7 20 30 |