The Lamentations of Amyntas for the death of Phillis paraphrastically translated out of Latine into English Hexameters by Abraham Fraunce |
 |
| 1. |
| 2. |
| 3. |
| 4. |
| 5. |
| 6. |
| 7. |
| 8. |
| 9. | The ninth Lamentation. |
| 10. |
| 11. |
 | The Lamentations of Amyntas for the death of Phillis |  |
The ninth Lamentation.
Since Phillis burial now faire aurora the ninth time
Shew'd her shining face, and Phœbus lightned Olympus:
When from couch all wett with teares, confounded Amintas
Rays'd his crasd carkas, with mind stil abroad to be wandring,
Vnto the wilde-beasts dens and feareful vnhospital harbours,
Where was nothing els but certain death to be lookt for.
But whilst naked lims with roabs al ragged he cou'red,
Oft did he call and crie for Phillis, for bony Phillis,
With deepe sighs and grons still Phillis, Phillis he called:
And then drest, vp he gets, and gets himselfe to the desert,
Desert dens, mans sight, and Sunns light euer abhorring.
There by the woods wandring, and loue vnlucky bewayling,
More and more did he feede that wonted wound of a louer.
Like as a trembling hart, whose heart is pearct with an arrowe,
Runs, and yet running his death still beareth about him,
Runs to the thickest groues, yet sweats and bleeds as he runneth,
Runs, and so with toyle and greefe death hasteneth onward:
Then with teares doth he seeke Dyctamus flower by the desert,
Seeks, but cannot finde Dyctamus flower by the desert,
Like to the trembling hart went hartles louer Amintas.
And thus againe at length (his cheeks with water abounding)
From sullen silence abruptly began to be raging.
Shew'd her shining face, and Phœbus lightned Olympus:
When from couch all wett with teares, confounded Amintas
Rays'd his crasd carkas, with mind stil abroad to be wandring,
Vnto the wilde-beasts dens and feareful vnhospital harbours,
Where was nothing els but certain death to be lookt for.
But whilst naked lims with roabs al ragged he cou'red,
Oft did he call and crie for Phillis, for bony Phillis,
With deepe sighs and grons still Phillis, Phillis he called:
And then drest, vp he gets, and gets himselfe to the desert,
Desert dens, mans sight, and Sunns light euer abhorring.
There by the woods wandring, and loue vnlucky bewayling,
More and more did he feede that wonted wound of a louer.
Like as a trembling hart, whose heart is pearct with an arrowe,
Runs, and yet running his death still beareth about him,
Runs to the thickest groues, yet sweats and bleeds as he runneth,
Runs, and so with toyle and greefe death hasteneth onward:
Then with teares doth he seeke Dyctamus flower by the desert,
Seeks, but cannot finde Dyctamus flower by the desert,
Like to the trembling hart went hartles louer Amintas.
And thus againe at length (his cheeks with water abounding)
From sullen silence abruptly began to be raging.
Since Phillis lockt vp that starlight liuely for euer,
Since faire Phillis slept that long sleepe, what shal Amintas
Thinke, conceiue, contriue, or what shal Amintas imagine,
What shal Amintas doe, that Amintas go not a begging?
For no care is of health, no care of wealth in Amintas,
No ioy, no comfort, but Phillis abyds in Amintas.
Since faire Phillis slept that long sleepe, what shal Amintas
Thinke, conceiue, contriue, or what shal Amintas imagine,
What shal Amintas doe, that Amintas go not a begging?
For no care is of health, no care of wealth in Amintas,
No ioy, no comfort, but Phillis abyds in Amintas.
Who will fodder now in Winter giue to my bullocks?
Who will now any more bring my white bull to my heifer?
Who will goats and kidds to the ragged rocks be a dryuing?
Who will sheepe and lambs from rau'ning woolues be defending?
VVho will looke to my rams, and wash their fleese in a riuer?
VVho will anoint scabb'd sheepe, least that contagius humor
Once take vent, make waie, and spoile whole flock of Amintas?
VVho will let them bloud, when raging fire of a feuer
Runneth along by the bones, and marrow quicklie deuoureth?
VVho will tender sheepe driue vp fro the fields, to the mountains,
VVhen deepe Thames increast with raine or snow from Olympus,
Driues down wonted wals, and banks all beateth asunder,
Ouerflowing fields, and pastures foulie defacing?
O poore flocke, poore heard, ô life, and loue of Amintas:
Phillis life and loue is gone, ô wretched Amintas.
Eu'n as a marchant man that lost his ware by a shipwrack,
And ship left on sands with blind rocks broken a sunder,
Swims on a board stagg'ring with salt waues all to bedashed:
Driu'n hence thence with winds, and knows no place to be landing;
VVandring here and there, and sees no starre to be shining:
So twixt hope and feare, twixt life and death doth Amintas
Dailie delaie his daies, yet deathes wound beareth about him.
For since Phillis, alas, in a dead sleepe slipt from Amintas,
Inconstant, wandring, distracted, moydred Amintas
Raungeth alone by the rocks, by the woods, by the dens, by the deserts,
Deserts, dens, & woods, & rocks, where no bodie walketh,
No bodie dare aproch for feare of slipperie serpents,
And crawling Adders with balefull poison abounding.
And yet I can not find what I seeke, what I looke, what I long for,
Phillis I mean by the rocks, by the woods, by the dens, by the deserts,
Who will now any more bring my white bull to my heifer?
Who will goats and kidds to the ragged rocks be a dryuing?
Who will sheepe and lambs from rau'ning woolues be defending?
VVho will anoint scabb'd sheepe, least that contagius humor
Once take vent, make waie, and spoile whole flock of Amintas?
VVho will let them bloud, when raging fire of a feuer
Runneth along by the bones, and marrow quicklie deuoureth?
VVho will tender sheepe driue vp fro the fields, to the mountains,
VVhen deepe Thames increast with raine or snow from Olympus,
Driues down wonted wals, and banks all beateth asunder,
Ouerflowing fields, and pastures foulie defacing?
O poore flocke, poore heard, ô life, and loue of Amintas:
Phillis life and loue is gone, ô wretched Amintas.
Eu'n as a marchant man that lost his ware by a shipwrack,
And ship left on sands with blind rocks broken a sunder,
Swims on a board stagg'ring with salt waues all to bedashed:
Driu'n hence thence with winds, and knows no place to be landing;
VVandring here and there, and sees no starre to be shining:
So twixt hope and feare, twixt life and death doth Amintas
Dailie delaie his daies, yet deathes wound beareth about him.
For since Phillis, alas, in a dead sleepe slipt from Amintas,
Inconstant, wandring, distracted, moydred Amintas
Raungeth alone by the rocks, by the woods, by the dens, by the deserts,
Deserts, dens, & woods, & rocks, where no bodie walketh,
No bodie dare aproch for feare of slipperie serpents,
And crawling Adders with balefull poison abounding.
And yet I can not find what I seeke, what I looke, what I long for,
Phillis I mean by the rocks, by the woods, by the dens, by the deserts,
Since that time, that time of griefe and woe the beginning,
Neither sunne by the daie, nor moone by the night did Amintas
Euer see sleeping, though weake and wearie by watching.
And no food I desire for I feed to fast on a fancie,
Loue fils faintie stomack, and euerie part of Amintas.
And I desire no drink, for I drinke vp waterie fountains.
Fountains of salt tears, still trickling, euer abounding,
Like showres in winter driu'n down with winds from Olympus,
O most mightie Pales, which stil bar'st loue to the countrie,
And poore countrie folke, hast thou forgotten Amintas.
Now, when as other Gods haue all forsaken Amintas,
Thou on whose feast daies bonefires were made by Amintas.
And quite leapt ouer by the bouncing dancer Amintas,
Thou, for whose feast daies great cakes ordained Amintas,
Supping milke with cakes, and casting milke to the bonefire?
Neither sunne by the daie, nor moone by the night did Amintas
Euer see sleeping, though weake and wearie by watching.
And no food I desire for I feed to fast on a fancie,
Loue fils faintie stomack, and euerie part of Amintas.
And I desire no drink, for I drinke vp waterie fountains.
Fountains of salt tears, still trickling, euer abounding,
Like showres in winter driu'n down with winds from Olympus,
O most mightie Pales, which stil bar'st loue to the countrie,
And poore countrie folke, hast thou forgotten Amintas.
Now, when as other Gods haue all forsaken Amintas,
Thou on whose feast daies bonefires were made by Amintas.
Thou, for whose feast daies great cakes ordained Amintas,
Supping milke with cakes, and casting milke to the bonefire?
And thou surlie Cupid, thou churlish dame Cytheræa,
VVith whose praise I did once, whil'st Phillis abode with Amintas,
Make these fields to resound, make beasts and men to be wondring,
On pitifull poore wretch is no care, no pitie taken?
VVhat? shal I nothing get for making so manie offrings,
So manie sweet perfumes, for saying so manie praiers?
All with a greene garland with leaues of mirtle adorned?
Are gods vnthankfull? can no grace come from Olympus?
Are gods vnmindfull? why then, what meane I to worship?
VVorship I know not what for a god, when it is but an Idol:
For no guerdon, alas, no good things left for a good man.
VVith whose praise I did once, whil'st Phillis abode with Amintas,
Make these fields to resound, make beasts and men to be wondring,
On pitifull poore wretch is no care, no pitie taken?
VVhat? shal I nothing get for making so manie offrings,
So manie sweet perfumes, for saying so manie praiers?
All with a greene garland with leaues of mirtle adorned?
Are gods vnthankfull? can no grace come from Olympus?
Are gods vnmindfull? why then, what meane I to worship?
VVorship I know not what for a god, when it is but an Idol:
For no guerdon, alas, no good things left for a good man.
Poore foole, what did I meane, on gods or stars to be railing?
As though stars or gods could alter destinies order.
Poore foole, what did I meane incessant teares to be sheading?
Stil to the hils, to the woods, to the fields, to the flouds to be wailing?
Sith these hils, these woods, these fields, these flouds to my weeping,
Can lend no feeling, can aford no sense to my wailing.
Yet wil I call Phillis, though no bodie come by my calling,
And weepe for Phillis, though no good come by weeping,
Thus wil I doe: manie men, manie minds: this pleaseth Amintas,
And yet I can not abide anie more by the woods to be raunging,
And this liuing death, this dying life to be leading:
Dye then Amintas, dye, let Amintas murther Amintas,
So shal that grim Sire, and foule fac'd prince of Auernus,
Some pitie take, when he sees this wound of murdred Amintas,
This wound wide and large: and losse of grau's but a small losse.
So shall Amintas walke, and Phillis walke with Amintas,
Through those pleasant groues and flowring fields of Avernus.
As though stars or gods could alter destinies order.
Poore foole, what did I meane incessant teares to be sheading?
Stil to the hils, to the woods, to the fields, to the flouds to be wailing?
Sith these hils, these woods, these fields, these flouds to my weeping,
Can lend no feeling, can aford no sense to my wailing.
Yet wil I call Phillis, though no bodie come by my calling,
And weepe for Phillis, though no good come by weeping,
Thus wil I doe: manie men, manie minds: this pleaseth Amintas,
And yet I can not abide anie more by the woods to be raunging,
And this liuing death, this dying life to be leading:
Dye then Amintas, dye, let Amintas murther Amintas,
So shal that grim Sire, and foule fac'd prince of Auernus,
Some pitie take, when he sees this wound of murdred Amintas,
This wound wide and large: and losse of grau's but a small losse.
So shall Amintas walke, and Phillis walke with Amintas,
Through those pleasant groues and flowring fields of Avernus.
But yet againe to his house, with doubtfull mind he returned.
| The Lamentations of Amyntas for the death of Phillis | |