Classic Poem

Non canimus Surdis respondent omnia Silvae DAMON :

Amintas! (who our northerne feilds makest proud;
Whose Eye; then Phoebus, more prevents that cloud,
Now from the Southeast threatning) ah, how long?
How many Summers since thy glorious Songe
Our Ayre enricht? growne foggie, since the time
Strephon contending in an humble Rhime
His Silva prais'd, to thy Urbanaes Eyes.
Deare Shepheard, now (if our Societies
Seeme not unworthy thee) that pipe assaye,
Which has made Short, even the Longest Daye. AMINTAS :

Damon, that Pipe is broke; and Numbers now
Amintas can noe more; my Braine and Brow
Is but one Cloud; if Damon, I may heare
Thy better Notes, I lend a willing Eare. DAMON :

My deare Amintas, Say: what may it be?
(If a freind may partake) that troubles thee?
Are thy flockes faint? or doth Alexis faile
In freindships to thee? or (more Sad then All)
Is thy Urbana false? a feare, I durst
Scarce feare! but Love is Apt to feare the worst.
Say Shepheard, to thy freind; what Torture may
Soe scorch thy Soule, to wash thy Eyes away? AMINTAS :

If Damon, my weake Spirrits may not beare
Soe great a Burthen, doe not blame a Teare:
Your feare, alas, is but too safe, too Just;
Urbana is — is false; and strangelie lost
To her first vowes, a prostitute: or more,
To the Grand Paillard, proud to be his whore.
This, but a part; though, ah! too much by this;
The rest, I cannot Speake; for Damon, tis
Soe beyond wonder, such a Prodigie,
It starts a Horror, everie Thought in Mee. DAMON :

May it not Adde Affliction! to lay out
All thy mishap? My deare Amintas doe't;
Whilest I with open Ears, thy Sorrowes gather
Into my brest; we better suit together.
Let me (at lest, in this) thy Rivall prove;
Tis fitt hee Share thy greife, whom thou dost Love. AMINTAS :

The Storie's Long and Sad; but may Appeare,
Perhaps, not tedious to a tender Eare.
Yow Damon, are concern'd; your Loyaltie
Makes yow a partner, in the miserie;
And the strict tye of freindship, twixt us two
Emboldens me to utter, what I know.
Thus then it is; our folds and flocks, while ere
To Pan made Sacred; and his Steward here
Next under Him wee honour; and noe knee
But unto him did bend, in fealtie;
His Ivorie Hooke; (made glorious by his Hand)
More then a Scepter, shined ore the Lande;
And wee inferiour Swains, were taught to bring
Our Tribute Lambes, and our fleece-offering,
To this Great Shepherd; part of the increase
Which Hee preserved soe many yeare in Peace;
This was, but Damon! now, wee may noe more
Performe, or paye the Duties us'd to fore. DAMON :

Is Pietie a Sin? or Loyaltie
Now made a Crime? unriddle it to mee;
For since I can remember, I was taught
To honour the Great Shepheard; and have brought
My frequent Tributes, with a willing Hand.
Who now soe bold, dare his just rights withstand? AMINTAS :

Ah Damon, latelie to another Hee
Imparted Somewhat of his Roialtie.
A cozen of the Blood; of Sex, unfitt
For Soveraigntie; yet Hee allow'd her Sitt
Next to his Throne: unheeding what too Late
Hee now repents, her ill-bestowed State;
For when She now, by favour of his Eye,
Seem'd, to the world, a part of majestie;
The giddie Heads, who still delight in Change
Fixe upon Her the Light; and put a Strange
Glorie upon Her; yet, it was but Ayre,
And her owne Pride, made her appeare soe faire;
For all the Nobler Shepherds were afraid
Her Rule might ruine what the other made.
Still our Great Shepherd, to himselfe Secure,
Is pleas'd, with new Addresses made unto Her.
From everie corner of this Iland, flye
Papers, to establish her yonge Majestie;
Hee, all the while remisse, is well content
To see how she can manage Government;
Lulled by her Sugred Sayings, and the oft
Repeated vowes, which (ah) She never thought.
Hee, from his owne Hand, gives his Ivorie hooke,
Which even His Father and Himselfe had tooke
Of Pan, with Solemne vow; and now begins
Proud Zephirina to augment her Sins;
For what She only wisht, and durst not Act,
Power, gives her Right; and Justifyes the fact.
Now, by himselfe forsaken, many Swains
Leave him (alas), whom kind Shee entertains.
Still her power Spreads; the Axe is now put downe
Unto the Roote. The ruine falls, a Crowne;
Now those who were freinds, or in favour high
To the Great Sheapherd, fall; for Royaltie
Admitts noe Rivall; and Supreme Estate
Nothing Approves, but what it did Create.
What need I tell, Philarchus lost his Head;
Or Mirabella, strangelie banished?
Or how Penandro, now her Minion growne,
Must not by him be call'd in Question
For highest Crimes? To offer it, were more
Then Regicide it Selfe had bene before;
And even those few, which did attend Him then,
Rebells denounc't; Himselfe the worst of Men;
That now (alas) he's forc'd (Soe powerles left)
In this remoter Countrie, thus to Shift. DAMON :

Oh the Sad Day! Amintas, wee have seene
The former Glories of a King and Queene;
Then Zephirina hardly had a Name,
At most, below any pretence of Claime;
Alas, what Safetie can our feilds Afforde
To Him, they must acknowledge yet their Lord?
Hee thinlie fenced, with Loyall Hearts, may Stand:
But they (alas) want Armes, to the strong Hand
Of Zephirina now; our Townes, are weake,
Our Numbers few, and farre away to seeke.
This Sought in Time, might have some Refuge bene;
When His owne Troopes, were full amongst us seene;
When noe Power visible could animate
Aspiring Treasons; now it is too late.
Now Matho, with an Iron yoake has prest
Our Loyall Shoulders; now, Hee stands possest
Of that strong Towne, which by a King once rear'd,
May be anothers Ruine, to be fear'd.
What can his Hopes Suggest unto Him here?
Wee All are Cowed, even Stupifyed with feare. AMINTAS :

Soe, is the Nation all: or rather lost,
In his neglect; they Careles are, almost;
And let the Threatning Billow over run
Their fortunes, willing soe to be undone.
A retchlesnes has now Seiz'd everie Mind;
Or a strange Tumor, newer things to find;
For never greater Disproportion dwell'd
Amongst Minds. All are Sunke, or overswell'd.
Hither, our Maister, confident of Some
Yet Loyall Hearts, encourag'd was to come,
Far from the Reach of Zephirinaes power,
Which everie day, encreases more and more;
Her late imperious Summons, She hath sent;
And if it fayle, by force She will Attempt
His Sacred Person; tis alreadie done.
Her Complices, in this Sedition,
Bring in their willing Armes; their Purses ope,
T' exasperate her Rage; and urge a Hope
Of her Establishment. Leavies are made,
And Voluntarie Troopes goe to Her Ayde;
That now her forces, in the feild Appeare
A formidable Armie; and Wee heare
Cornigerus the Generall of the rout,
Must bring that Project speedilye about. DAMON :

Alas! what Counsels, may our maister have,
To avoyd this Torrent? and his Honour save?
Our Numbers are too weake, our wealth exhaust,
To Cope with such a Numerous, and vast
Army, as they are made to us by fame.
Amintas, Say: what Succours can Hee frame? AMINTAS :

Tis (ah) but Small: yet all Hee can pursue
Necessitated thus. Hee, with the fewe
Willing to serve him, Westward now intend;
Where they perswade, Hee will have many a friend;
However, he resolves at once to run
The hazard of his Life, with Losse of Crowne.
There, his Imperiall Standard will he place,
(If yet it be soe powerfull, as it was)
To call in everie Heart, and everie Hand,
T' assist his Right, and her rude force withstand;
This, his last Refuge, a wan hope, to bring
Himselfe, to former Glories of a Kinge. DAMON :

I doe not See, what Succours can be brought,
Worthy of his Necessities, or Thought.
For Zephirina, everie Countie awes
With Edicts Strange, and never heard of Lawes;
Her Ministers, throughout the Kingdome spred,
Are Active, to advance her late-rais'd Head.
All mouths are full of Her; and everie Tongue
In her Names Priviledge, can not speake wronge;
When our Great Maister, but a Byword Stands,
And Groomes dare make a Jest of his Commands.
But Say, Amintas, for the Evening calls,
How comes thy bright Urbana to be false? AMINTAS :

That, as a part of Sorrow, to the rest
Then may I adde; and poure out all my brest.
When Zephirina, in her obscure Cell
Lived ere while, Urbana loved her well;
And though She cunning kept it from my Eare,
She wish'd her ever, what wee All now see her;
And her Ambitions did foment, to all
Strange undertakings; that I doe not Call
Em worse, for worst they are. Noe sooner was
This Zephirina in the Royall place,
But false Urbana, all her vowes made Light;
Her many former vowes, which Shee had plight:
And with new oaths seal'd, for the single Sway
Of this Usurper joynes; and everie day
Adds to her rule. Urbana Sweeps the round
Of all her Streets, for Ruffians to be found;
And all the Dregs of men, by numerous Poll's,
Swarme in to fill up Zephirinaes Rolls:
These Polymorphus leads in, to assist
The new-rais'd Tirranie, of What they List;
And thus Urbana, (not to her owne Lust,
But Zephirinaes Baud) has quitt her Trust.
What shall I more? what yow imagine more,
Urbana is of wicked; thus the Sore
Yow now have seen, which wounds Amintas brest.
What else remains, can never be exprest. DAMON :

Though further Wee removed, not lesse concern'd,
As some have taught; a Dictate, never learn'd
By loyall minds, who know noe Limit to
Their Zeale, or a proportion to their vow.
My brest is full as thine, with the same fire;
And what I cannot utter, I admire,
With Horror wounded; a darke Extasie
Runs through my Soule, in everie facultie. AMINTAS :

Ah! Damon! though wee bleed, yet thinke, how more
The Arrow wounds our maister; wee are poore;
And though our Indyviduall Selves may seeme
Near, in our Eyes, wee are of noe Esteeme.
Poore Shepherds may be ruin'd, everie Day,
Without a Noyse; and noe Man left to Say
Twas pittye; for their narrow motions are
But in the Sphaere, of a Particular.
Princes are set, a Step beyond their fates;
They never suffer Single; formed States,
The Structur's of well setled Polities,
And changed Government, their Exequies
Are ever made; and not the meanest Hee
But falls a Part, in ruin'd Monarchye. DAMON :

What may wee doe? the Shepheard is not free
To Sing his Thoughts, under the Tirranie
Of this expected Rage; our humble verse
Now carries Danger, to still Jealous Ears;
Wee must retract, what wee have sung before;
And Numbers raise (which Muses all abhorre)
To Celebrate the Glories, of a late
Usurped Power, and most deformed State.
Sing let me never, Phaebus, if I raise
To thriving Treasons any note of Praise. AMINTAS :

Noe matter, Swaine; Apolloes Harpe unstrunge,
Was seen the other Day; and careles hung
Upon the Willowes. Pan, his Syrinx, made
A pipe, has throwne away; and left the Trade.
The Muses Silent; everie Swaine, strucke mute,
And Verses now fall, like untimely fruite.
For what is left, to Sing? our Glorie's gon,
Our Loves are Lost, or not worth thinking on. DAMON :

More happines have wee; (though Miserie
Surround us All) yet in our Loves, wee're free;
And Shepheards humble Loves, wee not the least
Of happines determine, if not Best. AMINTAS :

Had Such bene mine; Soe had I happie lived;
My flockes still kept their fold; and I had greived
Noe Strumpets loosenes; then my Pipe had Still
Bene pleasant; now, a worne and wearied Quill.
Damon, noe more; for longer Shadowes fall
From Western Hills, and Shepheards homeward call.

THE SONGE:

1

Unshorne Apollo! throw away
That wreath, thy Tresses crowning:
Thy Daphne withers, from a Bay
To some poore Shrub: not owning
Her former verdure. Wee now bring
A Chaplet of our gathering.

2

The Bramble and the wood-bine (lived
Not halfe a day) are twisted,
Some nettles mixt; as who beleived
Thy Glorie still existed!
Or to make finer, wee will trim
With Marigolds thy Anadem;

3

For Joy is Dead, and Glorie faint;
Witt, banished our feilds;
Say! great Protector! if wee may n't
Give, as the Season yeilds?
Or wouldst thow still Bay-crowned Sitt?
Restore us ours; weele give thee it.