Poems With the Muses Looking-Glasse. Amyntas. Jealous Lovers. Arystippus. By Tho: Randolph ... The fourth Edition enlarged [by Thomas Randolph] |
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Upon an Hermaphrodite.
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Upon an Hermaphrodite.
Sir
, or Madam, choose you whether,
Nature twists you both together.
And makes thy soul to each confesse,
Both petticoat and breeches dresse.
Thus we chastise the god of Wine,
VVith water that is feminine.
Till the cooler Nimph abate,
His wrath, and so incorporate,
Adam till his rib was lost
Had the sexes thus ingrost,
VVhen providence our Sire did cleave,
And out of Adam carved Eve.
Then did man 'bout wedlock treat
To make his body up compleat.
Thus Matrimony speaks hut thee
In a grave solemnity;
For Man and VVife make but one right
Canonicall Hermaphrodite.
Ravell thy body, and I finde
In every limb a double kind,
VVho would not think that head a pair,
That breeds such factions in the hair?
One halfe's so churlish in the touch,
That rather then endure so much
I would my tender limbs apparell
VVith Regulus his nailed barrell.
And the other halfe so small,
And so amorous with all,
That Cupid thinks each hair to grow,
A string for his invisible Bow.
Nature twists you both together.
And makes thy soul to each confesse,
Both petticoat and breeches dresse.
Thus we chastise the god of Wine,
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Till the cooler Nimph abate,
His wrath, and so incorporate,
Adam till his rib was lost
Had the sexes thus ingrost,
VVhen providence our Sire did cleave,
And out of Adam carved Eve.
Then did man 'bout wedlock treat
To make his body up compleat.
Thus Matrimony speaks hut thee
In a grave solemnity;
For Man and VVife make but one right
Canonicall Hermaphrodite.
Ravell thy body, and I finde
In every limb a double kind,
VVho would not think that head a pair,
That breeds such factions in the hair?
One halfe's so churlish in the touch,
That rather then endure so much
I would my tender limbs apparell
VVith Regulus his nailed barrell.
And the other halfe so small,
And so amorous with all,
That Cupid thinks each hair to grow,
A string for his invisible Bow.
VVhen I look babies in thine eyes,
Here Venus, there Adonis lies.
And though thy beauty be high noon,
Thy Orbs contain both Sun and Moon.
How many melting kisses skip,
Betwixt thy Male and Female lip,
Betwixt thy upper brush of hair,
And thy nether beards despair?
VVhen thou speak'st (I would not wrong)
Thy sweetnesse with a double tongue)
But in every simple sound
A perfect Dialogue is found.
Thy breasts distinguish one another,
This is the sister, that the brother.
when thou joyn'st hands my ears struck, fancies
The nuptiall sound, I John take Frances.
Feel but the difference, soft and rough,
This is a gauntlet, that a muffe.
Had fly Vlisses at the sack
Of Troy, brought thee his Pedlers-pack
And weapon too, to know Achilles
From King Nicomodes Phillis.
His plot had fail'd; this hand would feel
The needle, that, the warlike steel.
VVhen musick doth thy pace advance
Thy right leg takes thy left to dance.
Nor is't a Galliard danc'd by one
But a mixt dance although alone.
Thus every Heteroclite part
Changes gender, but the heart.
And those which modesty can meane
(And dare not speak) are Epicene.
That Gamester needs must overcome
That can play both Tyb and Tom.
Thus did natures Mintage vary,
Coyning thee both Philip and Mary.
Here Venus, there Adonis lies.
And though thy beauty be high noon,
Thy Orbs contain both Sun and Moon.
How many melting kisses skip,
Betwixt thy Male and Female lip,
Betwixt thy upper brush of hair,
And thy nether beards despair?
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Thy sweetnesse with a double tongue)
But in every simple sound
A perfect Dialogue is found.
Thy breasts distinguish one another,
This is the sister, that the brother.
when thou joyn'st hands my ears struck, fancies
The nuptiall sound, I John take Frances.
Feel but the difference, soft and rough,
This is a gauntlet, that a muffe.
Had fly Vlisses at the sack
Of Troy, brought thee his Pedlers-pack
And weapon too, to know Achilles
From King Nicomodes Phillis.
His plot had fail'd; this hand would feel
The needle, that, the warlike steel.
VVhen musick doth thy pace advance
Thy right leg takes thy left to dance.
Nor is't a Galliard danc'd by one
But a mixt dance although alone.
Thus every Heteroclite part
Changes gender, but the heart.
And those which modesty can meane
(And dare not speak) are Epicene.
That Gamester needs must overcome
That can play both Tyb and Tom.
Thus did natures Mintage vary,
Coyning thee both Philip and Mary.
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