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The Poems of Edmund Waller

Edited by G. Thorn Drury
Waller, Edmund (1606-1687)

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OF THE DANGER HIS MAJESTY [BEING PRINCE] ESCAPED IN THE ROAD AT SAINT ANDREWS.
  
TO THE QUEEN,
  
OF HIS MAJESTY'S RECEIVING THE NEWS OF THE DUKE OF BUCKINGHAM'S DEATH.
  
OF SALLE.
  
TO THE KING, ON HIS NAVY.
  
UPON HIS MAJESTY'S REPAIRING OF PAUL'S.
  
TO MR. HENRY LAWES,
  
THE COUNTRY TO MY LADY OF CARLISLE.
  
THE COUNTESS OF CARLISLE IN MOURNING.
  
IN ANSWER TO ONE WHO WRIT AGAINST A FAIR LADY.
  
OF HER CHAMBER.
  
TO PHYLLIS.
  
TO MR. GEORGE SANDYS,
  
UPON BEN JONSON.
  
TO MY LORD NORTHUMBERLAND,
  
TO MY LORD ADMIRAL,
  
TO THE QUEEN MOTHER OF FRANCE, UPON HER LANDING.
  
UPON THE DEATH OF MY LADY RICH.
  
THYRSIS, GALATEA.
  
ON MY LADY DOROTHY SIDNEY'S PICTURE.
  
TO VANDYCK.
  
AT PENSHURST.
  
TO MY LORD OF LEICESTER.
  
OF THE LADY WHO CAN SLEEP WHEN SHE PLEASES.
  
OF THE MISREPORT OF HER BEING PAINTED.
  
OF HER PASSING THROUGH A CROWD OF PEOPLE.
  
THE STORY OF PHŒBUS AND DAPHNE, APPLIED.
  
SONG.
  
TO THE SERVANT OF A FAIR LADY.
  
TO A VERY YOUNG LADY.
  
TO AMORET.
  
ON THE FRIENDSHIP BETWIXT TWO LADIES.
  
ON HER COMING TO LONDON.
  
AT PENSHURST.
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THE BATTLE OF THE SUMMER ISLANDS.
 I. 
CANTO I.
 II. 
CANTO II.
 III. 
CANTO III.
  
WHEN HE WAS AT SEA.
  
TO MY LORD OF FALKLAND.
  
OF THE QUEEN.
  
THE APOLOGY OF SLEEP,
  
PUERPERIUM.
  
TO AMORET.
  
TO PHYLLIS.
  
À LA MALADE.
  
OF LOVE.
  
FOR DRINKING OF HEALTHS.
  
OF MY LADY ISABELLA,
  
OF MRS. ARDEN.
  
OF THE MARRIAGE OF THE DWARFS.
  
LOVE'S FAREWELL.
  
FROM A CHILD.
  
ON A GIRDLE.
  
THE FALL.
  
OF SYLVIA.
  
THE BUD.
  
ON THE DISCOVERY OF A LADY'S PAINTING.
  
OF LOVING AT FIRST SIGHT.
  
THE SELF-BANISHED.
  
TO A FRIEND,
  
TO ZELINDA.
  
TO A LADY SINGING A SONG OF HIS COMPOSING.
  
TO THE MUTABLE FAIR.
  
TO A LADY, FROM WHOM HE RECEIVED A SILVER PEN.
  
ON THE HEAD OF A STAG.
  
THE MISER'S SPEECH.
  
TO CHLORIS.
  
TO A LADY IN A GARDEN.
  
CHLORIS AND HYLAS.
  
IN ANSWER OF SIR JOHN SUCKLING'S VERSES.
  
AN APOLOGY FOR HAVING LOVED BEFORE.
  
ON A BREDE OF DIVERS COLOURS,
  
TO CHLORIS.
  
SONG.
  
SONG.
  
TO FLAVIA.
  
BEHOLD THE BRAND OF BEAUTY TOSSED!
  
WHILE I LISTEN TO THY VOICE.
  
GO, LOVELY ROSE!
  
UNDER A LADY'S PICTURE.
  
WRITTEN IN MY LADY SPEKE'S SINGING-BOOK.
  
OF A LADY WHO WRIT IN PRAISE OF MIRA.
  
TO ONE MARRIED TO AN OLD MAN.
  
AN EPIGRAM ON A PAINTED LADY WITH ILL TEETH.
  
ON MR. JOHN FLETCHER'S PLAYS.
  
VERSES TO DR. GEORGE ROGERS,
  
TO MY LADY MORTON, ON NEW-YEAR'S DAY, 1650.
  
TO SIR WILLIAM DAVENANT,
  
A PANEGYRIC TO MY LORD PROTECTOR,
  
TO MY WORTHY FRIEND, MR. WASE.
  
TO HIS WORTHY FRIEND, MASTER EVELYN,
  
OF A WAR WITH SPAIN, AND A FIGHT AT SEA.
  
TO HIS WORTHY FRIEND, SIR THOS. HIGGONS,
  
PART OF THE FOURTH BOOK OF VIRGIL, TRANSLATED.
  
UPON THE LATE STORM, AND OF THE DEATH OF HIS HIGHNESS ENSUING THE SAME.
  
TO THE KING,
  
ON ST. JAMES'S PARK,
  
TO THE QUEEN, UPON HER MAJESTY'S BIRTHDAY,
  
TO A FAIR LADY, PLAYING WITH A SNAKE.
  
INSTRUCTIONS TO A PAINTER,
  
TO THE KING.
  
UPON HER MAJESTY'S NEW BUILDINGS AT SOMERSET HOUSE
  
EPITAPH TO BE WRITTEN UNDER THE LATIN INSCRIPTION UPON THE TOMB OF THE ONLY SON OF THE LORD ANDOVER.
  
TO MR. KILLIGREW,
  
EPIGRAM UPON THE GOLDEN MEDAL.
  
THE NIGHT-PIECE;
  
ON THE PICTURE OF A FAIR YOUTH,
  
OF A TREE CUT IN PAPER.
  
TO A LADY, FROM WHOM HE RECEIVED THE FOREGOING COPY WHICH FOR MANY YEARS HAD BEEN LOST.
  
OF ENGLISH VERSE.
  
TO THE DUCHESS,
  
TO THE DUCHESS OF ORLEANS,
  
TO A FRIEND OF THE AUTHOR,
  
OF HER ROYAL HIGHNESS, MOTHER TO THE PRINCE OF ORANGE;
  
ON THE STATUE OF KING CHARLES I.
  
EPITAPH ON COLONEL CHARLES CAVENDISH.
  
THE TRIPLE COMBAT.
  
UPON OUR LATE LOSS OF THE DUKE OF CAMBRIDGE.
  
OF THE LADY MARY, &c.
  
TO THE PRINCE OF ORANGE, 1677.
  
ON THE DUKE OF MONMOUTH'S EXPEDITION
  
UPON THE EARL OF ROSCOMMON'S TRANSLATION OF HORACE,
  
THESE VERSES WERE WRIT IN THE TASSO OF HER ROYAL HIGHNESS.
  
OF AN ELEGY MADE BY MRS. WHARTON ON THE EARL OF ROCHESTER.
  
TO MR. CREECH, ON HIS TRANSLATION OF “LUCRETIUS.”
  
SUNG BY MRS. KNIGHT, TO HER MAJESTY, ON HER BIRTHDAY.
  
WRITTEN ON A CARD THAT HER MAJESTY TORE AT OMBRE.
  
TRANSLATED OUT OF SPANISH.
  
OF HER MAJESTY, ON NEW-YEAR'S DAY, 1683.
  
OF TEA, COMMENDED BY HER MAJESTY.
  
PROLOGUE FOR THE LADY-ACTORS:
  
PROLOGUE TO THE “MAID'S TRAGEDY.”
  
EPILOGUE TO THE “MAID'S TRAGEDY.”
  
EPILOGUE TO THE “MAID'S TRAGEDY.”
  
OF THE INVASION AND DEFEAT OF THE TURKS, IN THE YEAR 1683.
  
A PRESAGE OF THE RUIN OF THE TURKISH EMPIRE.
  
TO HIS MAJESTY,
  
EPITAPH ON SIR GEORGE SPEKE.
  
EPITAPH ON HENRY DUNCH, ESQ.,
  
SONG.
  
TO MR. GRANVILLE (NOW LORD LANSDOWNE),
  
LONG AND SHORT LIFE.
  
TRANSLATED OUT OF FRENCH.
  
SOME VERSES OF AN IMPERFECT COPY, DESIGNED FOR A FRIEND, ON HIS TRANSLATION OF OVID'S “FASTI.”
  
PRIDE.
  
EPITAPH ON THE LADY SEDLEY.
  
EPITAPH UNFINISHED.
  
UPON A LADY'S FISHING WITH AN ANGLE.
  
ON MRS. HIGGONS.
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DIVINE POEMS.
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OF DIVINE LOVE.
 I. 
CANTO I.
 II. 
CANTO II.
 III. 
CANTO III.
 IV. 
CANTO IV.
 V. 
CANTO V.
 VI. 
CANTO VI.
  
[conclusion]
  
[conclusion]
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OF DIVINE POESY.
 I. 
CANTO I.
 II. 
CANTO II.
  
OF THE PARAPHRASE ON THE LORD'S PRAYER,
  
SOME REFLECTIONS OF HIS UPON THE SEVERAL PETITIONS IN THE SAME PRAYER.
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ON THE FEAR OF GOD.
 I. 
CANTO I.
 II. 
CANTO II.
  
OF THE LAST VERSES IN THE BOOK.

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58

TO AMORET.

Fair! that you may truly know
What you unto Thyrsis owe,
I will tell you how I do
Sacharissa love and you.
Joy salutes me, when I set
My blessed eyes on Amoret;
But with wonder I am strook,
When I on the other look.
If sweet Amoret complains,
I have sense of all her pains;
But for Sacharissa I
Do not only grieve, but die.
All that of myself is mine,
Lovely Amoret! is thine;
Sacharissa's captive fain
Would untie his iron chain,
And, those scorching beams to shun,
To thy gentle shadow run.
If the soul had free election
To dispose of her affection,
I would not thus long have borne
Haughty Sacharissa's scorn;
But 'tis sure some power above,
59

Which controls our will in love!
If not love, a strong desire
To create and spread that fire
In my breast, solicits me,
Beauteous Amoret! for thee
'Tis amazement more than love,
Which her radiant eyes do move;
If less splendour wait on thine,
Yet they so benignly shine,
I would turn my dazzled sight
To behold their milder light;
But as hard 'tis to destroy
That high flame, as to enjoy;
Which how easily I may do,
Heaven (as easily scaled) does know!
Amoret! as sweet and good
As the most delicious food,
Which, but tasted, does impart
Life and gladness to the heart.
Sacharissa's beauty's wine,
Which to madness doth incline;
Such a liquor as no brain
That is mortal can sustain.
Scarce can I to heaven excuse
The devotion which I use
Unto that adored dame
For 'tis not unlike the same
Which I thither ought to send;
So that if it could take end,
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'Twould to heaven itself be due
To succeed her, and not you,
Who already have of me
All that's not idolatry;
Which, though not so fierce a flame,
Is longer like to be the same.
Then smile on me, and I will prove
Wonder is shorter-lived than love.
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