Du Bartas His Divine Weekes And Workes with A Compleate Collectio[n] of all the other most delight-full Workes: Translated and written by yt famous Philomusus: Iosvah Sylvester |
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A DIALOGVE VPON THE TROVBLES PAST:
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 | Du Bartas |  |
601
A DIALOGVE VPON THE TROVBLES PAST:
Betweene Heraclitvs and Democritvs, the weeping and the laughing Philosophers.
603
Alas! thou laugh'st, perhaps not feeling well
The painfull torments of this mortall Hell:
Ah! canst thou (tear-less) in this iron Age,
See men massacred, Monsters borne to rage?
Democritus.
Ha! but why weep'st thou? wherefore in this sort
Doost thou lament amid this merry sport?
Ha! canst thou chuse but laugh, to see the State
Of mens now-follies, and the freaks of Fate?
Heraclitus.
He hath no heart that melts not all in teares,
To see the treasons, murders, massacres,
Sacks, sacrileges, losses and alarmes
Of those that perish by their proper armes.
Democritus.
Who all dismaied, swouneth sodainly
To heare or see some fained Tragedy
(Held in these dayes, on euery Stage as common)
Is but a heartless man, or but a woman.
Heraclitus.
O! would to God our Countries tragick ruth
Were but a fable, no effected truth:
My soule then should not sigh to angry Heav'n,
Nor for her plagues my tender heart be riv'n.
Democritus.
I take the world to be but as a Stage,
Where net-maskt men do play their personage:
'Tis but a mummerie, and a pleasant showe;
Sith ouer all, strange vanities doo flowe.
604
Those vanities I haue in detestation,
As cursed causes of Gods indignation:
Which makes me alwaies weep, sith on the earth
I see no obiect for the meanest mirth.
Democritus.
Thus, from one Subiect sundry sequels spring,
As diuersly our wits conceiue a thing.
I laugh to see thee weepe; thou weep'st to see
Me laugh so much, which more afflicteth thee.
Heraclitus.
Laugh while thou list at mortall miseries,
I cannot chuse but euen weep out mine eyes:
Finding more cause for tears in bloody slaughter
Then for thy sense-less ill-beseeming laughter.
Democritus,
Melt thee, distill thee, turne to waxe or snowe;
Make sad thy gesture, tune thy voice to woe;
I cannot weep, except sometimes it hap
Through laughing much, mine eyes let fall a drop.
Heraclitus.
I weep to see thus euerie thing confused,
Order disordred, and the Lawes abused;
Iustice reuerst and Policie peruerted;
And this sicke State neere vtterly subuerted.
Democritus.
I laugh to see how Fortune (like a ball)
Playes with the Globe of this inconstant All;
How she degradeth these, and graceth those;
How whom she lifts-vp, downe again she throwes.
Heraclitus.
I raine downe Riuers, when against their King
Cities rebell, through subiects bandying:
When Colledges through Armes) are reft of Art:
When euery County Kingdomes-it a-part.
Democritus.
I burst with laughter, when (confounding State)
I see those rebels hunt their Magistrate;
When I heare Porters prate of State-designes,
And make all common, as in new-found Indes.
Heraclitus.
I weep to see Gods glory made a vaile
To couer who his glorie most assaile:
That sacred Faith is made a maske for sinne,
And men runne headlong to destructions ginne.
605
I laugh (with all my heart) at the transforming
Of Iuggling Proteis, to all times Conforming:
But, most I laugh, t'haue seene the world so mad
To starue and die, when those damn'd Atheists bad.
Heraclitus.
I weepe (alas) to see the people weepe,
Opprest with rest-less waight in danger deepe;
Crying for Peace, but yet not like to get-her,
Yet her condition is not greatly better.
Democritus.
I laugh to see all cause of laughter gone,
Through those which (yerst thou said'st) haue caus'd thy mone:
Noting th'old guise, I laugh at all their new:
I laugh at more, but dare not tell it you.
Heraclitus.
Som sorrowes also I in silence keepe;
But in the Desart, all my woes shall weepe:
And there (perhaps) the Rocks will helpe me then;
For, in these dayes they are more milde then men.
Democritus.
I'le dwell in Cities (as my Genius guides)
To laugh my fill; for, smiling Peace prouides
Such plentious store of laughing-stuffe to fill me,
That still I'le laugh, vn-less that laughing kill me.
FINIS.
| Du Bartas | |