Fovre bookes of Du Bartas I. The Arke, II. Babylon, III. The Colonnyes, IIII. The Columues or Pyllars: In French and English, for the Instrvction and Pleasvre of Svch as Delight in Both Langvages. By William Lisle ... Together with a large Commentary by S. G. S |
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Among the lower shrubs, and then with help of winds
A way by flaming force to further mischiefe finds;
Vnto the bloomy thorne from th'humble shrub it stirres,
From Thorne to Oke, from Oke vnto the tallest Firres;
And, euer gaining ground, runs faster narre the marke,
And leaueth not a nymph within her natiue barke:
Right so this pleasing speech when first it had been grac'd
By fawning Fauourites, of others 'twas embrac'd;
Among the gyddie-braines then goes from hand to hand
Vnto the baser sort of people through the land;
Who greatly bent to see the famous tower made,
Doe labour day and night in all and euery trade.
A way by flaming force to further mischiefe finds;
Vnto the bloomy thorne from th'humble shrub it stirres,
From Thorne to Oke, from Oke vnto the tallest Firres;
And, euer gaining ground, runs faster narre the marke,
And leaueth not a nymph within her natiue barke:
Right so this pleasing speech when first it had been grac'd
By fawning Fauourites, of others 'twas embrac'd;
Among the gyddie-braines then goes from hand to hand
46
Who greatly bent to see the famous tower made,
Doe labour day and night in all and euery trade.
Some trip the speare-wood Ash, with sharp-edg'd axes stroke,
And some the sailing Elme, and some th'enduring Oke;
So they degrade the woods and shew vnto the Sunne
The ground where his bright eye before had neuer shone.
And some the sailing Elme, and some th'enduring Oke;
So they degrade the woods and shew vnto the Sunne
The ground where his bright eye before had neuer shone.
Who euer did behold some forraine armie sacke
A citie vanquished? ther's griefe and ioy, no lacke,
Together hurly-burld; he carts, and he lays-hold,
He drags by force, he leads; and there the souldier bold,
Can finde no place too sure, nor yet no locke too strong,
The whole towne in a day forth at the gates doth throng.
So quickly do these men pull-off with one assent
From those Assyrian hills the shaking ornament:
The wildernesse of shade they take from off the rocks,
And sheare off albeswat the leuell countries locks:
The waynes and yoked Mules scarse one by the other wend;
The groaning axeltrees with load surcharged bend.
Behold here one for mort'r is day and night abruing
Of some thicke-slimie poole the water fatly gluing.
And here the Tyler bakes within his smoakie kell
His clay to stone; and here one hollows downe to hell
So deep foundations, that many a damned Spright
Aggazeth once againe the Sunnes vnhoped light.
Heau'n ecchoes out the sound of their mauls clitter-clatters,
And Tigris feeles his fish all trembling vnd'r his waters.
The ruddy-colourd walls in-height and compasse grow,
They far-off cast a shade, they far-off make a show.
The world's all on toile, and men borne all to die
Thinke at the first daies worke their hand shall reach the skie.
A citie vanquished? ther's griefe and ioy, no lacke,
Together hurly-burld; he carts, and he lays-hold,
He drags by force, he leads; and there the souldier bold,
Can finde no place too sure, nor yet no locke too strong,
The whole towne in a day forth at the gates doth throng.
So quickly do these men pull-off with one assent
From those Assyrian hills the shaking ornament:
The wildernesse of shade they take from off the rocks,
And sheare off albeswat the leuell countries locks:
The waynes and yoked Mules scarse one by the other wend;
The groaning axeltrees with load surcharged bend.
Behold here one for mort'r is day and night abruing
Of some thicke-slimie poole the water fatly gluing.
And here the Tyler bakes within his smoakie kell
His clay to stone; and here one hollows downe to hell
So deep foundations, that many a damned Spright
Aggazeth once againe the Sunnes vnhoped light.
Heau'n ecchoes out the sound of their mauls clitter-clatters,
And Tigris feeles his fish all trembling vnd'r his waters.
The ruddy-colourd walls in-height and compasse grow,
They far-off cast a shade, they far-off make a show.
The world's all on toile, and men borne all to die
Thinke at the first daies worke their hand shall reach the skie.
Hereat began th'Lord to sowre his countenance,
And with dread thūders sound that storm-wise wont to glance
Athwart the clowdie racks, that hills wont ouerthrow
And make heau'ns steddy gates flash often too and fro,
See see (quoth he) these dwarfes, see this same rascall people,
These children of the dust. O what a goodly steeple,
What mighty walls they build! Is this the Cittadell,
So recklesse of my shot that shakes the gates of Hell?
I sware an oath to them henceforth the fruitfull ground
Should neuer stand in feare of waters breaking bound:
They doubting fence themselues; I would by their extent
Haue peopled all the world, they by themselues are pent
In prison-walls of brick: I would haue beene for euer
Their master, their defence, their shepherd, their law-giuer;
And they haue chose for King a sauage Liue-by-spoile,
A Tyrant seeking gaine by their great losse and toile;
Who doth my force despise and with vaine-glory swone
Attempts to scale the walls of my most holy throne.
Come let's defeat their drift, and sith the bond of tong;
Of blood, of will, of law, doth egge on all day long,
And hearten them in sin; to stop their hastie intent,
Among them let vs send the Spirit of dissent;
Their language to confound, to make, both one and other,
The father strange to sonne, the brother deafe to brother.
And with dread thūders sound that storm-wise wont to glance
Athwart the clowdie racks, that hills wont ouerthrow
And make heau'ns steddy gates flash often too and fro,
See see (quoth he) these dwarfes, see this same rascall people,
These children of the dust. O what a goodly steeple,
47
So recklesse of my shot that shakes the gates of Hell?
I sware an oath to them henceforth the fruitfull ground
Should neuer stand in feare of waters breaking bound:
They doubting fence themselues; I would by their extent
Haue peopled all the world, they by themselues are pent
In prison-walls of brick: I would haue beene for euer
Their master, their defence, their shepherd, their law-giuer;
And they haue chose for King a sauage Liue-by-spoile,
A Tyrant seeking gaine by their great losse and toile;
Who doth my force despise and with vaine-glory swone
Attempts to scale the walls of my most holy throne.
Come let's defeat their drift, and sith the bond of tong;
Of blood, of will, of law, doth egge on all day long,
And hearten them in sin; to stop their hastie intent,
Among them let vs send the Spirit of dissent;
Their language to confound, to make, both one and other,
The father strange to sonne, the brother deafe to brother.
Thus had he said, and straight confusedly there went
I know not what a brute throughout the buyldiment,
None other like (I guesse) then drunken peasants make
Where Bacchus doth his launce with Ivy garland shake.
One doth his language toothe, another nose his note,
Another frames his words vnseemly through the throte;
One howleth, one doth hisse, another stuttereth;
Each hath his babbl', and each in vaine endeuoureth
To finde those loued termes, and tunes before exprest,
That in their cradle-bands they drew from mothers brest.
Goe get thee vp betimes; and, while the morning gay
With rainbow-glosse bedecks the portaile of the day,
Giue eare a while and marke the disagreeing moods
Of winged quiristers that sing amid the woods
Good-morrow to their loues; where each one in his fashion
Is pearched on a bough and chaunteth his Oration:
Then shalt thou vnderstand what mingle-mangle of sounds
Confusedly was heard among the Mason-lounds.
I know not what a brute throughout the buyldiment,
None other like (I guesse) then drunken peasants make
Where Bacchus doth his launce with Ivy garland shake.
One doth his language toothe, another nose his note,
Another frames his words vnseemly through the throte;
One howleth, one doth hisse, another stuttereth;
Each hath his babbl', and each in vaine endeuoureth
To finde those loued termes, and tunes before exprest,
That in their cradle-bands they drew from mothers brest.
Goe get thee vp betimes; and, while the morning gay
With rainbow-glosse bedecks the portaile of the day,
Giue eare a while and marke the disagreeing moods
Of winged quiristers that sing amid the woods
Good-morrow to their loues; where each one in his fashion
Is pearched on a bough and chaunteth his Oration:
Then shalt thou vnderstand what mingle-mangle of sounds
48
A Trowell ho, saith one; his mate a beetl'him heaues:
Cut me, saith he, this stone; and he some timber cleaues.
Come ho, come ho, saith one, and winde me vp this rope;
Then one vnwinding striues to giue it all the scope.
This scaffold bourd, saith one; one makes it downe to fare:
Giue me the line, saith one; and one giues him the square.
He shouts, he signes in vaine, and he with anger boyles;
And looke what one hath made forthwith another spoiles,
VVith such confused cries in vaine they spend their winde;
And all the more they chafe, the lesse is knowne their minde.
Cut me, saith he, this stone; and he some timber cleaues.
Come ho, come ho, saith one, and winde me vp this rope;
Then one vnwinding striues to giue it all the scope.
This scaffold bourd, saith one; one makes it downe to fare:
Giue me the line, saith one; and one giues him the square.
He shouts, he signes in vaine, and he with anger boyles;
And looke what one hath made forthwith another spoiles,
VVith such confused cries in vaine they spend their winde;
And all the more they chafe, the lesse is knowne their minde.
At length as men that stand an arched bridge to build,
In riuers channell deepe that wont surround the field,
And sodainly behold how vnexpected raine
Hath sent a hundred floods, that downhill stretch amaine
Their yoake-refusing waues; they leaue with one aduise
(Some hasting here, some there) their earnest enterprise:
So when these Architects perceiu'd the stormy smart
Of Gods displeasure come, they straight were out of heart.
And there they ceas'd their work & with hands malecontent,
Rules, mallets, plomets, lines, all downe the towre they sent.
In riuers channell deepe that wont surround the field,
And sodainly behold how vnexpected raine
Hath sent a hundred floods, that downhill stretch amaine
Their yoake-refusing waues; they leaue with one aduise
(Some hasting here, some there) their earnest enterprise:
So when these Architects perceiu'd the stormy smart
Of Gods displeasure come, they straight were out of heart.
And there they ceas'd their work & with hands malecontent,
Rules, mallets, plomets, lines, all downe the towre they sent.
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