The Lamentations of Amyntas for the death of Phillis paraphrastically translated out of Latine into English Hexameters by Abraham Fraunce |
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| 11. | The last Lamentation, and the death of Amyntas. |
 | The Lamentations of Amyntas for the death of Phillis |  |
The last Lamentation, and the death of Amyntas.
And now since Phillis dead corps was laid in a coffin,
Came th' eleuenth daie, when weake, yet wakeful Amintas
Spi'd through tyles of his house, faire Phœbus beames to be shining:
Which when he saw, then in hast himselfe he began to be stirring,
And with trembling knees, with mind extreemlie molested,
Passed along to the fields, where graue of Phillis apeared:
Meaning there to the graue, to the ghost, to the scattered ashes,
His last lamenting in wofull wise to be making.
But when he saw fresh flowres, and new grasse speedilie start vp,
And Phillis sweet name ingrau'n by the hand of Amintas,
Then did he stay and weepe with an inward horror amased:
And at length his knees on graue there faintilie bowing,
With dolorus gronings, his fatall howre he bewailed.
Came th' eleuenth daie, when weake, yet wakeful Amintas
Spi'd through tyles of his house, faire Phœbus beames to be shining:
Which when he saw, then in hast himselfe he began to be stirring,
And with trembling knees, with mind extreemlie molested,
Passed along to the fields, where graue of Phillis apeared:
Meaning there to the graue, to the ghost, to the scattered ashes,
His last lamenting in wofull wise to be making.
But when he saw fresh flowres, and new grasse speedilie start vp,
And Phillis sweet name ingrau'n by the hand of Amintas,
Then did he stay and weepe with an inward horror amased:
And at length his knees on graue there faintilie bowing,
With dolorus gronings, his fatall howre he bewailed.
This day, this same day, most blessed day of a thousand,
Shall be the first of ioy, and last of anoie to Amintas,
This shal bring me my selfe to my selfe, and bring me to Phillis.
Let neither father, nor mother mourne for Amintas,
Let neither kinsman, nor neighbour weepe for Amintas,
For Venus, onelie Venus, doth laie this death on Amintas,
And Phillis sweet soule in faire fields staies for Amintas.
If you needs will shew some signe of loue to Amintas,
Then when life is gone, close vp these eies of Amintas,
And with Phillis corps lay this dead corps of Amintas,
This shall Phillis please, and Phillis louer Amintas,
And thou, good Damon, driue forth those sheepe of Amintas,
Least that Amintas sheepe die with their maister Amintas.
And thou faire Amarillis, when thou gang'st to the mountains,
Driue on Phillis goats, faire Phillis goats to the mountains:
For now tis certaine, Ile leaue this life for a better,
And seeke for mending in a most vnnatural ending.
Hils and dales farewel, you pleasant walks of Amintas,
Wells and fludds farewell, sometime the delyte of Amintas,
Now shal I neuer more my sorrowes vtter among you,
Now shal I neuer more with clamors vainly molest you.
Must then Amintas thus but a stripling murder Amintas?
O what an imperious princesse is Queene Cytheræa?
For still watching loue would neuer let me be resting,
Nor neuer sleeping, since Phillis went from Amintas.
And no longer I can susteine these infinite horrors,
And pangs incessant, which now are freshly renewed,
And much augmented: therefore am I fully resolued
Of lingring lou's wound to be speedily cur'd by a deaths wound.
Thus when he had contriu'd in his heart this desperate outrage,
And meant fully to die, with an hellish fury bewitched;
What do I stay, quoth he, now? tis losse of time to be lingring.
Then with a fatall knife in a murdring hand; to the heauens
Vp did he looke for a while; and groan'd with a deadly resounding,
VVith these words his life and Lamentation ending.
Shall be the first of ioy, and last of anoie to Amintas,
This shal bring me my selfe to my selfe, and bring me to Phillis.
Let neither father, nor mother mourne for Amintas,
Let neither kinsman, nor neighbour weepe for Amintas,
For Venus, onelie Venus, doth laie this death on Amintas,
And Phillis sweet soule in faire fields staies for Amintas.
If you needs will shew some signe of loue to Amintas,
Then when life is gone, close vp these eies of Amintas,
And with Phillis corps lay this dead corps of Amintas,
This shall Phillis please, and Phillis louer Amintas,
And thou, good Damon, driue forth those sheepe of Amintas,
Least that Amintas sheepe die with their maister Amintas.
And thou faire Amarillis, when thou gang'st to the mountains,
Driue on Phillis goats, faire Phillis goats to the mountains:
For now tis certaine, Ile leaue this life for a better,
And seeke for mending in a most vnnatural ending.
Hils and dales farewel, you pleasant walks of Amintas,
Now shal I neuer more my sorrowes vtter among you,
Now shal I neuer more with clamors vainly molest you.
Must then Amintas thus but a stripling murder Amintas?
O what an imperious princesse is Queene Cytheræa?
For still watching loue would neuer let me be resting,
Nor neuer sleeping, since Phillis went from Amintas.
And no longer I can susteine these infinite horrors,
And pangs incessant, which now are freshly renewed,
And much augmented: therefore am I fully resolued
Of lingring lou's wound to be speedily cur'd by a deaths wound.
Thus when he had contriu'd in his heart this desperate outrage,
And meant fully to die, with an hellish fury bewitched;
What do I stay, quoth he, now? tis losse of time to be lingring.
Then with a fatall knife in a murdring hand; to the heauens
Vp did he looke for a while; and groan'd with a deadly resounding,
VVith these words his life and Lamentation ending.
Gods, and ghosts, forgiue, forget this fault of Amintas,
Pardon I craue of both: this knife shall bring me to Phillis,
And end these miseries, though desteny flatly deny it.
Eu'n as he spake these words downe fell deepe wounded Amintas,
Fowling hands and ground with streames of bloud that abounded.
And good natur'd ground, pytying this fall of Amintas
In most louing wise very gent'ly receiued Amintas
And when he fell, by the fall, in mournefull sort she resounded.
Iupiter in meane time, and th' other gods of Olympus,
When they saw his case (though great things were then in handling,)
Yet lamented much, and then decreed, that Amintas
Soule, should goe to the fields where blessed Phillis abideth,
And bloody corps should take both name & forme of a faire flowre
Called Amaranthus; for Amintas friendly remembrance.
VVhylst these things by the gods wer thus decreed in Olympus,
Senses were all weake, and almost gone from Amintas,
Eyes were quite sightles, death pangs and horror aproched:
Then with his head half vp, most heauily groned Amintas,
And as he gron'd, then hee felt his feete to the ground to be rooted,
And seeking for a foote, could finde no foote to be sought for.
For both leggs and trunck to a stalk were speedily chaunged,
And that his olde marrow to a colde iuyce quickly resolued,
And by the same cold iuyce this stalk stil liuely apeared.
Which strang chang whē he felt, thē he lifted his arms to the heauēs,
And when he lifted his arms, thē his arms were made to be branches.
And now, face and heare of Amintas lastly remayned,
O what meane, you gods, to prolong this life of Amintas?
ô what meane you gods, with an hollow sound he repeated,
Vntil his hollowe sounde with a stalk was speedily stopped,
And faireface and heare bare forme and shape of a faire flowre,
Flowre with faire red leaus, faire red bloud gaue the beginning.
Then with bow and shaft and painted quiuer about him
Vprose Lord of loue, from Princelike seate in Olympus,
And when t'was too late lament's this losse of a louer,
Speaking thus to the gods of this newe flowre of Amintas.
Myrtle's due to Venus, greene Laurell's due to Apollo,
Corne to the Lady Ceres, rype grapes to the yong mery Bacchus,
Popplar t'Alcides, and Oliues vnto Minerua,
Gentle Amaranthus thou fairest flowre of a thousand
Shalt be my floure hēceforth, & though thou cam'st from a bleeding,
Yet bloud shalt thou staunch: this gift will I giue thee for euer:
And by the pleasant fields where gentle minded Amintas
Lately bewaild his loue, there thy leau's louely for euer
Boyes, and gyrles, and nymphs shal take a delyte to be plucking,
Take a delight of them their garlands gaye to be making.
And now in meane time whylst these things were thus a working,
Good louing neighbours for a long time missed Amintas,
And by the caues of beasts, by the dungeons darke, by the deserts,
And by the hills, by the dales, by the wells and watery fountains,
Sought for Amintas long, but neuer mett with Amintas.
Pardon I craue of both: this knife shall bring me to Phillis,
And end these miseries, though desteny flatly deny it.
Eu'n as he spake these words downe fell deepe wounded Amintas,
Fowling hands and ground with streames of bloud that abounded.
And good natur'd ground, pytying this fall of Amintas
In most louing wise very gent'ly receiued Amintas
And when he fell, by the fall, in mournefull sort she resounded.
Iupiter in meane time, and th' other gods of Olympus,
When they saw his case (though great things were then in handling,)
Yet lamented much, and then decreed, that Amintas
Soule, should goe to the fields where blessed Phillis abideth,
And bloody corps should take both name & forme of a faire flowre
Called Amaranthus; for Amintas friendly remembrance.
VVhylst these things by the gods wer thus decreed in Olympus,
Senses were all weake, and almost gone from Amintas,
Eyes were quite sightles, death pangs and horror aproched:
Then with his head half vp, most heauily groned Amintas,
And as he gron'd, then hee felt his feete to the ground to be rooted,
And seeking for a foote, could finde no foote to be sought for.
For both leggs and trunck to a stalk were speedily chaunged,
And by the same cold iuyce this stalk stil liuely apeared.
Which strang chang whē he felt, thē he lifted his arms to the heauēs,
And when he lifted his arms, thē his arms were made to be branches.
And now, face and heare of Amintas lastly remayned,
O what meane, you gods, to prolong this life of Amintas?
ô what meane you gods, with an hollow sound he repeated,
Vntil his hollowe sounde with a stalk was speedily stopped,
And faireface and heare bare forme and shape of a faire flowre,
Flowre with faire red leaus, faire red bloud gaue the beginning.
Then with bow and shaft and painted quiuer about him
Vprose Lord of loue, from Princelike seate in Olympus,
And when t'was too late lament's this losse of a louer,
Speaking thus to the gods of this newe flowre of Amintas.
Myrtle's due to Venus, greene Laurell's due to Apollo,
Corne to the Lady Ceres, rype grapes to the yong mery Bacchus,
Popplar t'Alcides, and Oliues vnto Minerua,
Gentle Amaranthus thou fairest flowre of a thousand
Shalt be my floure hēceforth, & though thou cam'st from a bleeding,
Yet bloud shalt thou staunch: this gift will I giue thee for euer:
And by the pleasant fields where gentle minded Amintas
Lately bewaild his loue, there thy leau's louely for euer
Boyes, and gyrles, and nymphs shal take a delyte to be plucking,
Take a delight of them their garlands gaye to be making.
And now in meane time whylst these things were thus a working,
Good louing neighbours for a long time missed Amintas,
And by the caues of beasts, by the dungeons darke, by the deserts,
And by the hills, by the dales, by the wells and watery fountains,
Sought for Amintas long, but neuer mett with Amintas.
| The Lamentations of Amyntas for the death of Phillis | |