University of Virginia Library

Search this document 
Epitaphes, Epigrams, Songs and Sonets

with a Discourse of the Friendly affections of Tymetes to Pyndara his Ladie. Newly corrected with additions, and set out by George Turbervile
 

collapse section
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Louer obtayning his wishe by all likelyhode, yet not able to attaine his desire, compares himself to Tantalus.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 

The Louer obtayning his wishe by all likelyhode, yet not able to attaine his desire, compares himself to Tantalus.

Of Tantalus plight
The Poets wright,
Complayning
And fayning
In sorowfull sownding songes:
Who feeles (they saye)
For Apples gaye
Such payning,
Not gayning
The fruite for which hee longes:
For when hee thinkes to feede therone,
The fickle flattring Tree is gone:
And all in vaine hee hopes to haue
his famine to expell
The flitting fruite that lookes so braue
and likes his eie so well:
And thus his hunger doth increase,
And hee can neuer finde release.
As want of Meate
Doth make him freate

[16]

With raging,
And gaging,
To catch the fruite that flees:
Euen so for drythe
The Miser crythe,
Not swaging,
But waging,
For licour that hee sees:
For to his painefull partched mouth
The long desired water flouth,
And when he gapes full greedilie
vnthriftie thirst to slake,
The riuer wasteth speedilie,
and awaywarde goes the Lake:
That all the licour from his lips
And dryed chaps away it slips.
This kinde of paine
Doth he sustaine,
Not ceasing,
Increasing,
His pittifull pining wo:
In plenties place,
Deuoide of grace,
Releasing,
Or ceassing
The pangs that pinch him so:
Of all the fretting fits of Hell
This Tantals torment is most fell:

17

For that the reast can haue no hope
their freedome to attaine,
And he hath graunted him such scope
as makes the Myser faine:
But all for nought in fine it serues,
For he with dryth and hunger sterues.
Euen so fare I
That am as nie
My pleasure,
My treasure,
As I might wish to bee:
And haue at will
My Ladie still
At leasure,
In measure,
As well it liketh mee.
The amorous blincks flee to and fro,
With sugred words that make a show
That fansie is well pleasde withall
and findes it selfe content:
Eche other friendly friend doth call
and eche of vs consent:
And thus we seeme for to possesse
Eche others hart and haue redresse.
We coll, we clip,
We kisse with lip,
Delighted,
Requighted,

[17]

And merily spend the day:
The tales I tell
Are fanside well,
Recited,
Not spited,
Thus weares the time away.
Looke what I like shee doth imbrace,
Shee giues good eare vnto my case
And yeeldes mee lawfull libertie
to frame my dolorus plaint,
To quite hir Friend from ieopardie
whome Cupid hath attaint:
Respecting nought at all his welth
But seeking meane to worke his helth.
I seeme to haue
The thing I craue,
Shee barres not,
Shee iarres not,
But with a verie good will
Shee heares my sute,
And for the frute
Shee warres not,
But dares not
To let me feede my fill.
Shee would (I know) with hart agree,
The fault is neyther in hir nor mee,
I dare auowe full willinglie
shee would consent thereto,

18

And gladly would mee remedie
too banish away my wo:
Lo thus my wish I doe possesse,
And am a Tantal naythelesse.
For though I stande
And touch with hande
Allured,
Procured,
The Saint I doe desire:
And may be bolde
For to enfolde,
Assured,
Indured,
The Corps that I require:
Yet by no meanes may I attaine
To haue the fruite I would so faine
To rid mee from extremitie
and cruell oppressing care,
Euen thus with Tantals penaltie
my destnie may compare:
Who though endure excessiue paine,
Yet mine is not the least of twaine.