But since that I
Must die at last, 'tis best
Thus to use myself in jest
By feigned death to die.

Yesternight the sun went hence,
And yet is here to-day;
He hath no desire nor sense,
Nor half so short a way:
Then fear not me,

But believe that I shall make
Hastier journeys, since I take

More wings and spurs than he.

O how feeble is man's power,
That, if good fortune fall,
Cannot add another hour,

Nor a lost hour recall!

But come bad chance,
And we join to it our strength,
And we teach it art and length
Itself o'er us to advance.

When thou sigh'st, thou sigh'st not wind,
But sigh'st my soul away;
When thou weep'st, unkindly kind,
My life's blood doth decay.

It cannot be

That thou lov'st me as thou say'st,
If in thine my life thou waste,

That art the best of me.

Let not thy divining heart

Forethink me

any

ill;

Destiny may take thy part

And may thy fears fulfil;

But think that we

Are but turned aside to sleep :
They who one another keep
Alive ne'er parted be.

The Legacy

WHEN I died last,-and, dear, I die
As often as from thee I go,
Though it be but an hour ago

(And lovers' hours be full eternity)—
I can remember yet, that I

Something did say, and something did bestow;
Though I be dead, which sent me, I might be
Mine own executor, and legacy.

I heard me say, "Tell her anon,

That myself," that is you, not I

"Did kill me ;" and when I felt me die,

I bid me send my heart, when I was gone;

But I, alas, could there find none;

When I had ripp'd, and search'd where hearts should lie,

It kill'd me again, that I who still was true

In life, in my last will should cozen you.

Yet I found something like a heart,
But colours it, and corners had;
It was not good, it was not bad,
It was entire to none, and few had part;
As good as could be made by art

It seemed, and therefore for our loss be sad.
I meant to send that heart instead of mine,
But, oh, no man could hold it, for 'twas thine.

The Anniversary

ALL kings, and all their favourites,
All glory of honours, beauties, wits,

The sun itself, whlch makes time, as these pass,
Is elder by a year now than it was

When thou and I first one another saw.
All other things to their destruction draw
Only our love hath no decay;

This no to-morrow hath, nor yesterday;
Running, it never runs from us away,

But truly keeps his first, last, everlasting day.

Two graves must hide thine and my corse;
If one might, death were no divorce.

Alas, as well as other princes, we

(Who prince enough in one another be)

Must leave at last in death these eyes and ears,
Oft fed with true oaths, and with sweet salt tears;
But souls where nothing dwells but love

(All other thoughts being inmates) then shall prove This or a love increased there above.

When bodies to their graves, souls from their graves

remove.

And then we shall be thoroughly blest;
But now no more than all the rest.

Here upon earth we're kings, and none but we
Can be such kings, nor of such subjects be.
Who is so safe as we, where none can do
Treason to us, except one of us two?

True and false fears let us refrain,

Let us love nobly, and live, and add again
Years and years unto years, till we attain

To write three score; this is the second of our reign.

The Dream

DEAR love, for nothing less than thee
Would I have broke this happy dream;
It was a theme

For reason, much too strong for fantasy,
Therefore thou wak'dst me wisely; yet

My dream thou brak'st not, but continu'dst it :

Thou art so true, that thoughts of thee suffice
To make dreams truths, and fables histories.
Enter these arms, for since thou thought'st it best
Not to dream all my dream, let's act the rest.

As lightning or a taper's light,

Thine eyes, and not thy noise, waked me.
Yet I thought thee

(For thou lov'st truth) an angel at first sight;
But when I saw thou saw'st my heart,

And knew'st my thoughts, beyond an angel's art,

When thou knew'st what I dreamt, when thou knew'st when

Excess of joy would wake me, and cam'st then ;

I must confess, it could not choose but be

Profane to think thee anything but thee.

Coming and staying showed thee thee,
But rising makes me doubt, that now
Thou art not thou.

That love is weak where fear's as strong as he ;
'Tis not all spirit, pure and brave,

If mixture it of fear, shame, honour, have.
Perchance as torches, which must ready be,
Men light and put out, so thou deal'st with me;
Thou cam'st to kindle, goest to come: then I
Will dream that hope again, but else would die.

The Message

SEND home my long-strayed eyes to me,
Which, oh, too long have dwelt on thee;
But if they there have learned such ill,
Such forc'd fashions,

And false passions,
That they be

Made by thee

Fit for no good sight, keep them still.

Send home my harmless heart again,
Which no unworthy thought could stain :
But if it be taught by thine
To make jestings

Of protestings,

And break both

Word and oath,

Keep it, for then 'tis none of mine.

Yet send me back my heart and eyes,
That I may know and see thy lies,
And may laugh and joy when thou
Art in anguish,

And dost languish
For some one

That will none,

Or prove as false as thou dost now.

A Valediction forbidding. Mourning

(Upon parting from his Mistress)

As virtuous men pass mildly away,
And whisper to their souls to go;

Whilst some of their sad friends do say,
"The breath goes now"-and some say, "no";

So let us melt, and make no noise,

No tear-floods, nor sigh-tempests move;

'Twere profanation of our joys

To tell the laity our love.

Moving of th' earth brings harms and fears,

Men reckon what it did and meant ;

But trepidation of the spheres,

Though greater far, is innocent.