The Lamentations of Amyntas for the death of Phillis paraphrastically translated out of Latine into English Hexameters by Abraham Fraunce |
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| 10. | The tenth Lamentation. |
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 | The Lamentations of Amyntas for the death of Phillis |  |
The tenth Lamentation.
Since that fatall day and houre vnlucky the tenth time
Faire Aurora betimes by the dayes break rose from her husband,
Husband old and cold, and droue darke cloads from Olympus,
Making way to the sunne, taking her way to the yonker,
Braue yonker Cephalus, whome faire Aurora desired.
Æolus, of purpose, auroraes fancie to further,
Sent forth sweete Zephyrus with tender breath to be blowing,
And moist deaw by the fields with whistling blast to be drying,
Least nights colde moisture might stay their louly proceedings,
Stay braue Æolides, stay braue Aurora fro kissing.
Euery thing did smile, woods, fields, ayre, watery fountains,
Euery lapwing sang, and made sweete myrth to the morning,
And cheereful Charites with goldlocks gaily bedecked,
Daunced along by the fields in due and gratius order:
And th' vnruly satyrs by the sound of a paltery pyper,
Leapt and skipt by the woods, in most lasciuius order.
Only Amintas loath'd these sports, and these prety pastimes,
Only Amintas mourn'd, and olde griefs only remembred,
Leauing house and home, and deserts only frequenting,
Scratching face with nails, and Phillis freshly bewailing.
Faire Aurora betimes by the dayes break rose from her husband,
Husband old and cold, and droue darke cloads from Olympus,
Making way to the sunne, taking her way to the yonker,
Braue yonker Cephalus, whome faire Aurora desired.
Æolus, of purpose, auroraes fancie to further,
Sent forth sweete Zephyrus with tender breath to be blowing,
And moist deaw by the fields with whistling blast to be drying,
Least nights colde moisture might stay their louly proceedings,
Stay braue Æolides, stay braue Aurora fro kissing.
Euery thing did smile, woods, fields, ayre, watery fountains,
Euery lapwing sang, and made sweete myrth to the morning,
And cheereful Charites with goldlocks gaily bedecked,
Daunced along by the fields in due and gratius order:
And th' vnruly satyrs by the sound of a paltery pyper,
Leapt and skipt by the woods, in most lasciuius order.
Only Amintas loath'd these sports, and these prety pastimes,
Only Amintas mourn'd, and olde griefs only remembred,
Leauing house and home, and deserts only frequenting,
Scratching face with nails, and Phillis freshly bewailing.
O what means Phillis, can Phillis cast of Amintas.
O consider, alas, consider careful Amintas,
And forget not, alas, forget not faithful Amintas,
Who for Phillis sake, for loue and fancie to Phillis,
Bears this fire in his heart, and still this fire is a feeding.
What means Phillis alone in those faire fields to be walking,
In those Elysian faire fields, and leaue me behinde her?
VVhat's there no more care of flock in Phillis abyding?
VVhat? no care of loue, no care of louer Amintas?
O vnthankfull wench, if this thing come by thy causing,
And accursed fate, if desteny cause thee to leaue mee.
O consider, alas, consider careful Amintas,
And forget not, alas, forget not faithful Amintas,
Who for Phillis sake, for loue and fancie to Phillis,
Bears this fire in his heart, and still this fire is a feeding.
What means Phillis alone in those faire fields to be walking,
In those Elysian faire fields, and leaue me behinde her?
VVhat? no care of loue, no care of louer Amintas?
O vnthankfull wench, if this thing come by thy causing,
And accursed fate, if desteny cause thee to leaue mee.
See what a strange effect these cares haue wrought in Amyntas
Needeles cares haue driu'n all needefull cares from Amintas.
No care, no comfort in driuing goats to the mountains,
VVhen rising Phœbus displayes his beames in a morning.
No care, no comfort in bringing sheepe to the sheepe coats,
VVhen sitting Phœbus withdrawes his face in an euning.
Rimes are quite set a side, and seu'nhol'd pipe is abandond,
Rimes that I playd on pipe: pipe vsed at euery dauncing.
Leather bottel's lost, and tarrebox broken a sunder,
Shoone, and mittens gone, and sheephooke cast in a corner,
And little olde Lightfoote hath lost his maister Amintas,
VVhose watchful barking made wolues afraide to be byting.
See, how Phillis death doth make my goates to be dying.
No body giues them time and other flowers to be gnapping,
No body giues them drinke and water fresh to be sipping,
No body brings them backe to the folde, or shade to refresh them.
Needeles cares haue driu'n all needefull cares from Amintas.
No care, no comfort in driuing goats to the mountains,
VVhen rising Phœbus displayes his beames in a morning.
No care, no comfort in bringing sheepe to the sheepe coats,
VVhen sitting Phœbus withdrawes his face in an euning.
Rimes are quite set a side, and seu'nhol'd pipe is abandond,
Rimes that I playd on pipe: pipe vsed at euery dauncing.
Leather bottel's lost, and tarrebox broken a sunder,
Shoone, and mittens gone, and sheephooke cast in a corner,
And little olde Lightfoote hath lost his maister Amintas,
VVhose watchful barking made wolues afraide to be byting.
See, how Phillis death doth make my goates to be dying.
No body giues them time and other flowers to be gnapping,
No body giues them drinke and water fresh to be sipping,
No body brings them backe to the folde, or shade to refresh them.
See, how Phillis death doth make my sheepe to be dying,
VVhilst th' vnlucky sheepheard neglects his sheepe to be feeding,
Lambs in woful wise by the wolues are daily deuoured,
Ews in loathsome sort with scabbs are fowly molested,
And their wooll with dust and durt is filthily fowled.
O but, alas, poore foole, whilst thou thus rayl'st on Olympus,
Phillis faire perchaunce in pleasaunt fields of Auernus,
Keepeth better goats, and better sheepe is a feeding,
Leauing this poore flcok, and their poore maister Amintas.
And must onely my death cause endles plagues to be ended?
And shal I neuer die, till time that desteny pointed?
O what a life is this, with life and death to be striuing?
And yet I loue this life, this strife, and euery moment
Reason yeelds to my rage, and rage giues place to my reason.
And whilst breath shal abide in burning breast of Amintas,
Perpetual sobbing shal make these sides to be smarting,
Perpetual playning shal make this mouth to be sounding,
Perpetuall weeping shal make these eyes to be swelling.
As soone as Titan with face all fyrie returneth,
With violent clamors great clouds wil I cast on a cluster:
As soone as darke night doth spread her mantle among vs,
With teares stil trickling Ile make springs euer abounding.
What lou's like to my rage? what fancy's like to my folly?
That not a day, not an houre, not a moment scapeth Amyntas,
But stil Amintas mourns, since Phillis graue was a making.
VVhilst th' vnlucky sheepheard neglects his sheepe to be feeding,
Lambs in woful wise by the wolues are daily deuoured,
Ews in loathsome sort with scabbs are fowly molested,
And their wooll with dust and durt is filthily fowled.
O but, alas, poore foole, whilst thou thus rayl'st on Olympus,
Phillis faire perchaunce in pleasaunt fields of Auernus,
Keepeth better goats, and better sheepe is a feeding,
Leauing this poore flcok, and their poore maister Amintas.
And must onely my death cause endles plagues to be ended?
And shal I neuer die, till time that desteny pointed?
O what a life is this, with life and death to be striuing?
And yet I loue this life, this strife, and euery moment
Reason yeelds to my rage, and rage giues place to my reason.
And whilst breath shal abide in burning breast of Amintas,
Perpetual sobbing shal make these sides to be smarting,
Perpetual playning shal make this mouth to be sounding,
As soone as Titan with face all fyrie returneth,
With violent clamors great clouds wil I cast on a cluster:
As soone as darke night doth spread her mantle among vs,
With teares stil trickling Ile make springs euer abounding.
What lou's like to my rage? what fancy's like to my folly?
That not a day, not an houre, not a moment scapeth Amyntas,
But stil Amintas mourns, since Phillis graue was a making.
That lewd Lord of loue drew my destruction onward,
That boy bred my bane, my death vntimely procured,
When by the sight of a lasse, by the flaming eyes of a virgin
Fire did pearce by my flesh, to my soule, to my bones, to my marrow,
And there burns and boils like scalding sulphur of Ætna.
Who would thinke thou loue couldst beare such hate to a louer?
Or wouldst worke such harme to a countrieman that is harmeles?
But bloody boy thou art, thou bear'st bloody mind, bloody weapōs.
And thou most spiteful Nemesis, whose hasty reuenging
Hands are euer at hand: whose minde is mutable alwayes,
At miseries laughing, at mens felicitie grudging,
Why durst thou deale with? what didst thou meane to be medling
VVith louing Phillis, with Phillis louer Amyntas?
If that Phillis I kist, or Phillis kissed Amintas,
If that Phillis I clipt, or Phillis clipped Amintas,
If that I spent many houres in talking vnder a myrtle,
VVast any great offence, any great disgrace to a Goddesse?
VVe were countrie folke, two seelly'st soules of a thousand,
Those golden diadems, that stare of a king, or a kingdome,
Those vaunting titles, that pompe of a duke, or a dukedome,
Those flaunting buildings, that pride of an Earle or an earldome,
More fitt for Nemesis: Phillis more fitt for Amintas.
VVho would thinke thou couldest on beggers thus be triumphing?
VVhy should seelly shepheards be molested thus by a Goddesse,
Nay Godlesse Nemesis? for thou doest no body goodnes,
And where's no goodnes, who thinks there can be a Goddesse?
And thou most hellish Lachesis, more fierce then a fury,
What reason foundst thou such mischiefe for to be working,
That by the griping pains, by the colde hoate fitts of an ague,
Phillis fitt for a man, should die thus afore she be fitted?
O why shouldst thou take all comfort quite fro the countrey,
And make countrie men thus comfortles to be mourning?
Could not that sweet face, nor that most seemely behauiour,
Nor that league of loue stil lasting leade thee to mercie?
Who would think that thou wouldst haue thus delt with a milkmaid?
But thy delight is death, and bloud thou only desirest,
Therefore bring me to death, take liuing bloud from Amintas,
For my delyte is death; death onely desireth Amintas,
And to procure quicke death, it's fully resolu'd by Amintas,
That faire Phillis againe may loue her louer Amintas.
That boy bred my bane, my death vntimely procured,
When by the sight of a lasse, by the flaming eyes of a virgin
Fire did pearce by my flesh, to my soule, to my bones, to my marrow,
And there burns and boils like scalding sulphur of Ætna.
Who would thinke thou loue couldst beare such hate to a louer?
Or wouldst worke such harme to a countrieman that is harmeles?
But bloody boy thou art, thou bear'st bloody mind, bloody weapōs.
And thou most spiteful Nemesis, whose hasty reuenging
Hands are euer at hand: whose minde is mutable alwayes,
At miseries laughing, at mens felicitie grudging,
Why durst thou deale with? what didst thou meane to be medling
VVith louing Phillis, with Phillis louer Amyntas?
If that Phillis I kist, or Phillis kissed Amintas,
If that Phillis I clipt, or Phillis clipped Amintas,
If that I spent many houres in talking vnder a myrtle,
VVast any great offence, any great disgrace to a Goddesse?
VVe were countrie folke, two seelly'st soules of a thousand,
Those golden diadems, that stare of a king, or a kingdome,
Those vaunting titles, that pompe of a duke, or a dukedome,
Those flaunting buildings, that pride of an Earle or an earldome,
More fitt for Nemesis: Phillis more fitt for Amintas.
VVho would thinke thou couldest on beggers thus be triumphing?
VVhy should seelly shepheards be molested thus by a Goddesse,
Nay Godlesse Nemesis? for thou doest no body goodnes,
And where's no goodnes, who thinks there can be a Goddesse?
And thou most hellish Lachesis, more fierce then a fury,
What reason foundst thou such mischiefe for to be working,
That by the griping pains, by the colde hoate fitts of an ague,
O why shouldst thou take all comfort quite fro the countrey,
And make countrie men thus comfortles to be mourning?
Could not that sweet face, nor that most seemely behauiour,
Nor that league of loue stil lasting leade thee to mercie?
Who would think that thou wouldst haue thus delt with a milkmaid?
But thy delight is death, and bloud thou only desirest,
Therefore bring me to death, take liuing bloud from Amintas,
For my delyte is death; death onely desireth Amintas,
And to procure quicke death, it's fully resolu'd by Amintas,
That faire Phillis againe may loue her louer Amintas.
And yet about euning, with staggring stepps he returned.
| The Lamentations of Amyntas for the death of Phillis | |