University of Virginia Library

The Sparke.

My first love whom all beauties did adorne:
Firing my heart supprest it with her scorne,
Sun-like to tinder in my brest it lies,
By every sparkle made a sacrifice.
Each wanton eye now kindles my desire,
And that is free to all that was entire:
Desiring more, by thee (desire) I lost,
As those that in consumptions hunger most,
And now my wandring thoughts are not confind,
Vnto one woman, but to woman kinde.
This for her shape of love, that for her face,
This for her gesture, or some other grace,
And where I none of these doe use to find,
I choose thereby the kernell not the rynd:
And so I hope since my first hopes are gone,
To find in many what I lost in one,
And like to Merchants after some great losse,
Trade by retaile, that cannot now ingrosse,
The fault is hers that made me goe astray,
He needs must wander that hath lost his way.
Guiltlesse I am shee did this change provoke,
And made that charcoale which to her was oake,
And as a looking glasse from the aspect,
Whilst it is whole, doth but one face reflect,
But being crack't, or broken there are showne,
Many halfe faces, which at first were one.
So love vnto my heart did first proffer
Her image, and there planted none but her,
But since t'was broke and martird by her scorne,
Many lesse faces in her face are borne,
Thus like to tynder am I prone to catch
Each falling sparkle, fit for any match.