Ouids Banquet of Sence A Coronet for his Mistresse Philosophie, and his amorous Zodiacke. With a translation of a Latine coppie, written by a Fryer, Anno Dom.[by George Chapman] 1400 |
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 | Ouids Banquet of Sence |  |
Then sacred Madam, since my other sences
Haue in your graces tasted such content,
Let wealth not to be spent, feare no expences,
But giue thy bountie true eternizement:
Making my sences ground-worke, which is, Feeling,
Effect the other, endlesse excellent,
Their substance with flint-softning softnes steeling:
Then let mee feele, for know sweet beauties Queene,
Dames may be felt, as well as heard or seene.
Haue in your graces tasted such content,
Let wealth not to be spent, feare no expences,
But giue thy bountie true eternizement:
Making my sences ground-worke, which is, Feeling,
Effect the other, endlesse excellent,
Their substance with flint-softning softnes steeling:
Then let mee feele, for know sweet beauties Queene,
Dames may be felt, as well as heard or seene.
For if wee be allowd to serue the Eare
With pleasing tunes, and to delight the Eye
With gracious showes, the Taste with daintie cheere,
The Smell with Odors, ist immodestie
To serue the sences Emperor, sweet Feeling
With those delights that fit his Emperie?
Shall Subiects free themselues, and bind theyr King?
Mindes taint no more with bodies touch or tyre,
Then bodies nourish with the mindes desire.
With pleasing tunes, and to delight the Eye
With gracious showes, the Taste with daintie cheere,
The Smell with Odors, ist immodestie
To serue the sences Emperor, sweet Feeling
With those delights that fit his Emperie?
Shall Subiects free themselues, and bind theyr King?
Mindes taint no more with bodies touch or tyre,
Then bodies nourish with the mindes desire.
The minde then cleere, the body may be vsde,
Which perfectly your touch can spritualize;
As by the great elixer is trans-fusde
Copper to Golde, then grant that deede of prise:
Such as trans-forme into corrupt effects
What they receaue from Natures purities,
Should not wrong them that hold her due respects:
To touch your quickning side then giue mee leaue,
Th' abuse of things, must not the vse bereaue.
Which perfectly your touch can spritualize;
As by the great elixer is trans-fusde
Copper to Golde, then grant that deede of prise:
Such as trans-forme into corrupt effects
What they receaue from Natures purities,
Should not wrong them that hold her due respects:
To touch your quickning side then giue mee leaue,
Th' abuse of things, must not the vse bereaue.
Heere-with, euen glad his arguments to heare,
Worthily willing to haue lawfull grounds
To make the wondrous power of Heauen appeare,
In nothing more then her perfections found,
Close to her nauill shee her Mantle wrests,
Slacking it vpwards, and the foulds vnwound,
Showing Latonas Twinns, her plenteous brests
The Sunne and Cynthia in theyr tryumph-robes
Of Lady-skin; more rich then both theyr Globes
Worthily willing to haue lawfull grounds
To make the wondrous power of Heauen appeare,
In nothing more then her perfections found,
Close to her nauill shee her Mantle wrests,
Slacking it vpwards, and the foulds vnwound,
Showing Latonas Twinns, her plenteous brests
The Sunne and Cynthia in theyr tryumph-robes
Of Lady-skin; more rich then both theyr Globes
VVhereto shee bad, blest Ouid put his hand:
Hee, well acknowledging it much too base
For such an action, did a little stand,
Enobling it with tytles full of grace,
And coniures it with charge of reuerend verse,
To vse with pietie that sacred place,
And through his Feelings organ to disperse
VVorth to his spirits, amply to supply
The porenes of his fleshes facultie.
Hee, well acknowledging it much too base
For such an action, did a little stand,
Enobling it with tytles full of grace,
And coniures it with charge of reuerend verse,
To vse with pietie that sacred place,
And through his Feelings organ to disperse
VVorth to his spirits, amply to supply
The porenes of his fleshes facultie.
And thus hee sayd: King of the King of Sences,
Engines of all the engines vnder heauen,
To health, and life, defence of all defences,
Bountie by which our nourishment is giuen,
Beauties bewtifier, kinde acquaintance maker,
Proportions odnes that makes all things euen,
Wealth of the laborer, wrongs reuengement taker,
Patterne of concord, Lord of exercise,
And figure of that power the world did guise:
Engines of all the engines vnder heauen,
To health, and life, defence of all defences,
Bountie by which our nourishment is giuen,
Beauties bewtifier, kinde acquaintance maker,
Proportions odnes that makes all things euen,
Wealth of the laborer, wrongs reuengement taker,
Patterne of concord, Lord of exercise,
And figure of that power the world did guise:
Deere Hand, most dulie honored in this
And therefore worthy to be well employde:
Yet know, that all that honor nothing is,
Compard with that which now must be enioyd:
So thinke in all the pleasures these haue showne
(Likened to this) thou wert but meere anoyde,
That all hands merits in thy selfe alone
With this one touch, haue more then recompence,
And therefore feele, with feare and reuerence.
And therefore worthy to be well employde:
Yet know, that all that honor nothing is,
Compard with that which now must be enioyd:
So thinke in all the pleasures these haue showne
(Likened to this) thou wert but meere anoyde,
That all hands merits in thy selfe alone
With this one touch, haue more then recompence,
And therefore feele, with feare and reuerence.
See Cupids Alps which now thou must goe ouer,
Where snowe that thawes the Sunne doth euer lye:
Where thou maist plaine and feelingly discouer
The worlds fore-past, that flow'd with Milke and Honny:
Where, (like an Empresse seeing nothing wanting
That may her glorious child-bed bewtifie)
Pleasure her selfe lyes big with issue panting:
Euer deliuerd, yet with childe still growing,
Full of all blessings, yet all blisse bestowing.
Where snowe that thawes the Sunne doth euer lye:
Where thou maist plaine and feelingly discouer
The worlds fore-past, that flow'd with Milke and Honny:
Where, (like an Empresse seeing nothing wanting
That may her glorious child-bed bewtifie)
Pleasure her selfe lyes big with issue panting:
Euer deliuerd, yet with childe still growing,
Full of all blessings, yet all blisse bestowing.
This sayd, hee layde his hand vpon her side,
Which made her start like sparckles from a fire,
Or like Saturnia from th' Ambrosian pride
Of her morns slumber, frighted with admire
When Ioue layd young Alcydes to her brest,
So startled shee, not with a coy retire,
But with the tender temper shee was blest,
Prouing her sharpe, vnduld with handling yet,
Which keener edge on Ouids longings set.
Which made her start like sparckles from a fire,
Or like Saturnia from th' Ambrosian pride
Of her morns slumber, frighted with admire
When Ioue layd young Alcydes to her brest,
So startled shee, not with a coy retire,
But with the tender temper shee was blest,
Prouing her sharpe, vnduld with handling yet,
Which keener edge on Ouids longings set.
And feeling still, he sigh'd out this effect;
Alas why lent not heauen the soule a tongue?
Nor language, nor peculier dialect,
To make her high conceits as highly sung,
But that a fleshlie engine must vnfold
A spirituall notion; birth from Princes sprung
Pessants must nurse, free vertue waite on gold
And a profest though flattering enemie,
Must pleade my honor, and my libertie.
Alas why lent not heauen the soule a tongue?
Nor language, nor peculier dialect,
To make her high conceits as highly sung,
But that a fleshlie engine must vnfold
A spirituall notion; birth from Princes sprung
Pessants must nurse, free vertue waite on gold
And a profest though flattering enemie,
Must pleade my honor, and my libertie.
O nature how doost thou defame in this
Our humane honors? yoking men with beasts
And noblest mindes with slaues? thus beauties blisse,
Loue and all vertues that quick spirit feasts
Surfet on flesh; and thou that banquests mindes
Most bounteous Mistresse, of thy dull-tongu'd guests
Reapst not due thanks; thus rude frailetie bindes
What thou giu'st wings; thus ioyes I feele in thee
Hang on my lips and will not vttered be.
Our humane honors? yoking men with beasts
And noblest mindes with slaues? thus beauties blisse,
Loue and all vertues that quick spirit feasts
Surfet on flesh; and thou that banquests mindes
Most bounteous Mistresse, of thy dull-tongu'd guests
Reapst not due thanks; thus rude frailetie bindes
What thou giu'st wings; thus ioyes I feele in thee
Hang on my lips and will not vttered be.
Sweete touch the engine that loues bow doth bend,
The sence wherewith he feeles him deified,
The obiect whereto all his actions tend,
In all his blindenes his most pleasing guide,
For thy sake will I write the Art of loue,
Since thou doost blow his fire and feede his pride
Since in thy sphere his health and life doth moue,
For thee I hate who hate societie
And such as selfe-loue makes his slauerie.
The sence wherewith he feeles him deified,
The obiect whereto all his actions tend,
In all his blindenes his most pleasing guide,
For thy sake will I write the Art of loue,
Since thou doost blow his fire and feede his pride
Since in thy sphere his health and life doth moue,
For thee I hate who hate societie
And such as selfe-loue makes his slauerie.
In these dog-dayes how this contagion smoothers
The purest bloods with vertues diet fined
Nothing theyr owne, vnlesse they be some others
Spite of themselues, are in themselues confined
And liue so poore they are of all despised,
Theyr gifts, held down with scorne should be diuined,
And they like Mummers mask, vnknowne, vnprised:
A thousand meruailes mourne in some such brest
Would make a kinde and worthy Patrone blest.
The purest bloods with vertues diet fined
Nothing theyr owne, vnlesse they be some others
Spite of themselues, are in themselues confined
And liue so poore they are of all despised,
Theyr gifts, held down with scorne should be diuined,
And they like Mummers mask, vnknowne, vnprised:
A thousand meruailes mourne in some such brest
Would make a kinde and worthy Patrone blest.
To mee (deere Soueraigne) thou art Patronesse,
And I, with that thy graces haue infused,
Will make all fat and foggy braines confesse,
Riches may from a poore verse be deduced:
And that Golds loue shall leaue them groueling heere,
When thy perfections shall to heauen be Mused,
Deckt in bright verse, where Angels shall appeare
The praise of vertue, loue, and beauty singing,
Honor to Noblesse, shame to Auarice bringing.
And I, with that thy graces haue infused,
Will make all fat and foggy braines confesse,
Riches may from a poore verse be deduced:
And that Golds loue shall leaue them groueling heere,
When thy perfections shall to heauen be Mused,
Deckt in bright verse, where Angels shall appeare
The praise of vertue, loue, and beauty singing,
Honor to Noblesse, shame to Auarice bringing.
| Ouids Banquet of Sence | |