 | The Poeticall Essayes of Alexander Craige |  |
APOLOGIE FOR HIS RIVAL.
The Cucko once (tis trew) in singing, did compareWith Prognes sister Philomel, Pandions daughter faire:
And then the Asine graue, pronounc'd a sentence trew,
For many arguments, of which fond Riual read those few.
The Cucko with sweet songs saluts the yeerly Spring,
Poore Philomel in tragic tunes of Terens wrongs doth sing.
Through tops of tallest trees the soaring Cucko flies,
While Philomel in lowest shrubs complains, dispairs, & dies.
The Cuckoes not's declare of humane life the date,
While hart-broke Philomel must still her painefull plaints repeate.
The Cucko sings her name, no borrowed note nor strange,
While Philomel for Itis blood, a thousand tunes must change.
The Titling doth attend the Cucko late and aire,
And of her egs and Plumeles birds she taks continuall care,
None tends poore Philomel, for all her charms and chrils,
Yea if she fleip, the poynted thorne out-through her breist-bone thrils
The Cucko spends the Spring in mirth both eue and morne,
And to the ielus heirar still portends the forked Horne.
At Iunoes sute great Ioue became a Cucko faire:
Why shuld the brood of Grecian Kings, with Gods aboue compaire?
Then Phœbus stoope to Pan, be Minerue glad to yeeild
Vnto th' inuennomd Spiders web, for thou must loose the feild:
And thou must be content to weepe, and want reward,
Since Cuckoes are in such accompt, and Philomel debard.
Thou to thy selfe complains, alone thou weepes and murns,
Do so poore soule till fortune change, whose sauour goes by turns.
| The Poeticall Essayes of Alexander Craige | |