The Passionate Pilgrim
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THE PASSIONATE PILGRIM [1] When my love swears that she is made of truth, Exhal’st this vapour vow. In thee it is: I do believe her, though I know she lies, If broken, then it is no fault of mine. That she might think me some untutored youth, If by me broke, what fool is not so wise Unskilful in the world’s false forgeries. To break an oath, to win a paradise? 5 Thus vainly thinking that she thinks me young, Although I know my years be past the best, I, smiling, credit her false-speaking tongue, [4] Outfacing faults in love with love’s ill rest. Sweet Cytherea, sitting by a brook But wherefore says my love that she is young? With young Adonis, lovely, fresh and green, 10 And wherefore say not I that I am old? Did court the lad with many a lovely look, O, love’s best habit’s in a soothing tongue, Such looks as none could look but beauty’s queen. And age in love loves not to have years told. 5 She told him stories to delight his ears, Therefore I’ll lie with love and love with me, She showed him favours to allure his eye, Since that our faults in love thus smothered be. To win his heart she touched him here and there: Touches so soft still conquer chastity. But whether unripe years did want conceit, [2] 10 Or he refused to take her figured proffer, Two loves I have, of comfort and despair, The tender nibbler would not touch the bait, That like two spirits do suggest me still: But smile and jest at every gentle offer: My better angel is a man right fair, Then fell she on her back, fair queen, and toward: My worser spirit a woman coloured ill. He rose and ran away, ah fool too froward. 5 To win me soon to hell, my female evil Tempteth my better angel from my side, And would corrupt my saint to be a devil, [5] Wooing his purity with her fair pride. If love make me forsworn, how shall I swear to love? And whether that my angel be turned fiend, O never faith could hold, if not to beauty vowed. Though to myself forsworn, to thee I’ll constant prove: 10 Suspect I may, yet not directly tell: For being both to me, both to each, friend, Those thoughts, to me like oaks, to thee like osiers I guess one angel in another’s hell. bowed. The truth I shall not know, but live in doubt, 5 Study his bias leaves, and makes his book thine eyes, Till my bad angel fire my good one out. Where all those pleasures live that art can comprehend. If knowledge be the mark, to know thee shall suffice: [3] Well learne`d is that tongue that well can thee Did not the heavenly rhetoric of thine eye, commend, Gainst whom the world could not hold argument, All ignorant that soul that sees thee without wonder, Persuade my heart to this false perjury? 10 Which is to me some praise, that I thy parts admire. Vows for thee broke deserve not punishment. Thine eye Jove’s lightning seems, thy voice his 5 A woman I forswore, but I will prove, dreadful thunder, Thou being a goddess, I forswore not thee: Which, not to anger bent, is music and sweet fire. My vow was earthly, thou a heavenly love. Celestial as thou art, O do not love that wrong, Thy grace being gained cures all disgrace in me. To sing heaven’s praise with such an earthly My vow was breath and breath a vapour is, tongue. 10 Then thou, fair sun that on this earth doth shine, 1 by Shakespeare, a version of Sonnet 138 1 made of truth all fidelity (made may pun on ‘maid’) 2 lies quibbles on sense of ‘has sex (with other men)’ 3 That ...think i.e. she thinks That so that 4 false forgeries deceitful stratagems/counterfeits 5 vainly in vain, pointlessly/foolishly/out of vanity 7 credit believe 8 Outfacing defying/putting a brave face on (either way, the implication is of ignoring) love’s ill rest a lover’s uneasiness 9 wherefore why 11 habit usual behaviour/dress, guise 12 told counted/spoken aloud 13 lie fib/have sex 14 smothered kept silent 2 by Shakespeare, a version of Sonnet 144 loves lovers/kinds of love 2 suggest tempt, incite still constantly 3 fair pale-complexioned/beautiful/virtuous 4 coloured ill of ugly complexion/of evil disposition (in terms of colour may suggest a dark complexion, considered unattractive, or use of cosmetics) 8 pride plays on sense of ‘sexual desire’ (often used of female animals) 12 hell plays on the slang term for ‘vagina’ 14 fire ...out i.e. drive him out/infect him with venereal disease 3 by Shakespeare, a version of Longaville’s sonnet to Maria in Love’s Labour’s Lost (Act 4 scene 3) 1 rhetoric persuasive eloquence 3 perjury in Love’s Labour’s Lost Longaville has vowed to see no woman for three years, but has fallen in love with Maria 5 forswore vowed to renounce 8 grace favour/divine mercy 11 Exhal’st draw up (and burn away, as the sun burns off mist) In ...is she, as the sun, has absorbed the vaporous vow 4 perhaps by Bartholomew Griffin, though conceivably by Shakespeare 1 Cytherea or Venus, the Roman goddess of love (from the Greek island of Cythera) 2 Adonis in classical mythology, the beautiful youth loved by Venus (Shakespeare tells their story in Venus and Adonis) green youthful, blooming 3 lovely amorous/beautiful 6 favours love tokens/her sexual parts 8 still always 9 unripe immature want conceit lack understanding 10 figured proffer implied offer (of sex) 11 tender young 13 queen may pun on ‘quean’, i.e. prostitute toward willing, yielding 14 froward stubborn, contrary 5 by Shakespeare, a version of Berowne’s sonnet to Rosaline in Love’s Labour’s Lost (Act 4 scene 2) 1 forsworn guilty of breaking an oath (Berowne had sworn to see no woman for three years) 4 osiers willows 5 Study the student (i.e. Berowne himself, who has vowed to study for three years) his bias leaves leaves his rightful course (of learning); bias is a bowling term for the oblique course followed by a ball 6 art knowledge 7 mark target, goal 10 praise credit parts qualities/physical features 11 Jove supreme Roman god; his weapons were thunder and lightning 11 dreadful formidable, frightening 12 bent directed 2POEMSANDSONNETS THE PASSIONATE PILGRIM [6] As passing all conceit needs no defence. Scarce had the sun dried up the dewy morn, Thou lov’st to hear the sweet melodious sound And scarce the herd gone to the hedge for shade, 10 That Phoebus’ lute, the queen of music, makes: When Cytherea, all in love forlorn, And I in deep delight am chiefly drowned A longing tarriance for Adonis made When as himself to singing he betakes. 5 Under an osier growing by a brook, One god is god of both, as poets feign: A brook where Adon used to cool his spleen. One knight loves both and both in thee remain. Hot was the day, she hotter that did look For his approach, that often there had been. [9] Anon he comes and throws his mantle by, Fair was the morn, when the fair queen of love, 10 And stood stark naked on the brook’s green brim: [] The sun looked on the world with glorious eye, Paler for sorrow than her milk-white dove, Yet not so wistly as this queen on him. For Adon’s sake, a youngster proud and wild, He, spying her, bounced in whereas he stood: 5 Her stand she takes upon a steep-up hill. ‘O Jove,’ quoth she, ‘why was not I a flood?’ Anon Adonis comes with horn and hounds: She, silly queen, with more than love’s good will, [7] Forbade the boy he should not pass those grounds. Fair is my love but not so fair as fickle, ‘Once’, quoth she, ‘did I see a fair sweet youth Mild as a dove but neither true nor trusty, 10 Here in these brakes deep-wounded with a boar, Brighter than glass and yet as glass is brittle, Deep in the thigh, a spectacle of ruth! Softer than wax and yet as iron rusty: See, in my thigh,’ quoth she, ‘here was the sore.’ 5 A lily pale with damask dye to grace her, She showed hers — he saw more wounds than one, None fairer, nor none falser to deface her. And blushing fled and left her all alone. Her lips to mine how often hath she joine`d, [10] Between each kiss her oaths of true love swearing. Sweet rose, fair flower, untimely plucked, soon faded, How many tales to please me hath she coine`d, Plucked in the bud and faded in the spring. 10 Dreading my love, the loss whereof still fearing. Bright orient pearl, alack, too timely shaded. Yet in the midst of all her pure protestings, Fair creature, killed too soon by death’s sharp sting, Her faith, her oaths, her tears and all were jestings. 5 Like a green plum that hangs upon a tree, And falls through wind before the fall should be. She burnt with love as straw with fire flameth, She burnt out love as soon as straw out-burneth: I weep for thee and yet no cause I have, 15 She framed the love and yet she foiled the framing, For why thou left’st me nothing in thy will.