She, to Him

1

When you shall see me in the toils of Time,
 My lauded beauties carried off from me,
My eyes no longer stars as in their prime,
 My name forgot of maiden fair and free;
When, in your being, heart concedes to mind,
 And judgement, though you scarce its process know,
Recalls the excellencies I once enshrined,
 And you are irked that they have withered so:
Remembering mine the loss is, not the blame,
 That Sportsman Time but rears his brood to kill,
Knowing me in my soul the very same –

Aubade

At break of dawn
he takes a street-car, happy
after a night of love.

Happy,
but sleepily wondering
how many away is the night

when an ecto-endomorph
cock-sucker must put on
The Widow's Cap.

Was it hundreds of years ago, my love

Was it hundreds of years ago, my love,
Was it thousands of miles away,
That two poor creatures we know, my love,
Were toiling day by day;
Were toiling weary, weary,
With many myriads more,
In a city dark and dreary
On a sullen river's shore?

Was it truly a fact or a dream, my love?
I think my brain still reels,
And my ears still throbbing seem, my love,
With the rush and the clang of wheels;
Of a vast machinery roaring
For ever in skyless gloom;
Where the poor slaves peace imploring,

Laura. The Toyes of a Traveller. Or. The Feast of Fancie - Part 3, 31

My Mistres seemes but browne (say you) to mee.
Tis verie true, and I confesse the same:
Yet love I her, although that browne she bee,
Because to please me she is glad and faine.
I loved one most Beautiful before,
Whom now (as Death) I deadly doo abhore,
Because to scorne my service her I found,
I gave her ore, and chose to mee this same:
Nor to be faithfull (thinke I) I am bound
To one in whom no kindnes doth remaine:
This is the cause, for Browne and Pittifull,
I left a faire, but yet a faithlesse Trull.

Laura. The Toyes of a Traveller. Or. The Feast of Fancie - Part 3, 27

Love this faire Lasse (said Love) once unto mee,
I lov'd her; love her now (saith he) no more,
When thousand darts within my brest there bee,
And if I love her, he mee threatneth sore:
He saith himselfe is falne in love with her,
And that himselfe fore others hee'l prefer.
His sense is this, He in her beauteous eyes,
Hath found such Amours as nere like were seene:
But thinkes he this shall serve, in cunning wise
To make mee leave, he cousning me so cleene?
In spite of him Ile love, sith hart doth gree

Laura. The Toyes of a Traveller. Or. The Feast of Fancie - Part 3, 8

In Love his Kingdome great, two Fooles there bee;
My Ladie's one, my selfe the other am:
The fond behaviour of both which to see,
Who so but nicely markes, will say the same:
Foolish our thoughts are, foolish our desire,
Foolish our harts in Fancies flame to frie,
Foolish to burne in Loves hot scortching fire.
But what? Fooles are we none, my tung dooth lie:
For who most foolish is and fond in love,
More wiser farre than others, oft doth prove.

Laura. The Toyes of a Traveller. Or. The Feast of Fancie - Part 3, 3

The flaming Torch (a shadow of the light)
Put out by hastie hand, doth colour change,
And blacke becomes, which seemd before most bright:
Nor so to show is anie mervaile strange:
So was I long a lively fire of love,
The heate whereof my Bodie oft did prove,
But I, at last (by one who moand my woe)
Extinguisht was, by Pitifull Disdaine:
Then if my colour blacke in face doo show,
You need not much to wonder at the same,
Since tis a Signe (by part to know the whole)
That Love made mee a Fire, Disdaine a Cole.

Laura. The Toyes of a Traveller. Or. The Feast of Fancie - Part 3, 1

Who joyes in Love? the Hart alone, to see.
Who languisheth in Love? the Hart alone.
Then ist a thing impossible for mee
To joy or languish, since I Hart have none.
Withouten Hart? then tel me, what am I?
Even bones and flesh united cunningly.
The Soule, where ist? Love that hath tane away,
My Bodie onely resteth in his place.
Depriv'd of Soule and Hart, how live? I say,
I live (maintaind by Love) in this strange case.
O wonder strange, the Bodie live to see,
The Hart and Soule in other place to bee.

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