Men call you fayre, and you doe credit it,For that your selfe ye daily such doe see:But the trew fayre, that is the gentle witAnd vertuous mind, is much more praysd of me.For all the rest, how ever fayre it be,Shall turne to nought and lose that glorious hew;But onely that is permanent, and freeFrom […]

Lackyng my Love, I go from place to place,Lyke a young fawne that late hath lost the hynd,And seeke each where where last I sawe her face,Whose ymage yet I carry fresh in mynd.I seeke the fields with her late footing synd;I seeke her bowre with her late presence deckt;Yet nor in field nor bowre […]

Was it a dreame, or did I see it playne?A goodly table of pure yvory,All spred with juncats fit to entertayneThe greatest prince with pompous roialty:Mongst which, there in a silver dish did lyTwo golden apples of unvalewd* price,Far passing those which Hercules came by,Or those which Atalanta did entice;Exceeding sweet, yet voyd of sinfull […]

Fayre bosome! fraught with vertues richest tresure,The neast of love, the lodging of delight,The bowre of blisse, the paradice of pleasure,The sacred harbour of that hevenly spright,How was I ravisht with your lovely sight,And my frayle thoughts too rashly led astray,Whiles diving deepe through amorous insight,On the sweet spoyle of beautie they did pray,And twixt […]

One day I wrote her name upon the strand,But came the waves and washed it away:Agayne I wrote it with a second hand;But came the tyde, and made my paynes his pray.“Vayne man,” sayd she, “that doest in vaine assayA mortall thing so to immortalize;For I my selve shall lyke to this decay,And eke my […]

Most happy letters! fram’d by skilfull trade,With which that happy name was first desyndThe which three times thrise happy hath me made,With guifts of body, fortune, and of mind.The first ray being to me gave by kind,From mothers womb deriv’d by dew descent:The second is my sovereigne Queene most kind,That honour and large richesse to […]

Being my self captyved here in care,My hart, (whom none with servile bands can tye,But the fayre tresses of your golden hayre,)Breaking his prison, forth to you doth fly.Like as a byrd, that in ones hand doth spyDesired food, to it doth make his flight,Even so my hart, that wont on your fayre eyeTo feed […]

Since I did leave the presence of my Love,Many long weary dayes I have outworne,And many nights, that slowly seemd to moveTheyr sad protract from evening untill morn.For, when as day the heaven doth adorne,I wish that night the noyous day would end:And when as night hath us of light forlorne,I wish that day would […]

Since I have lackt the comfort of that lightThe which was wont to lead my thoughts astray,I wander as in darknesse of the night,Affrayd of every dangers least dismay.Ne ought I see, though in the clearest day,When others gaze upon theyr shadowes vayne,But th’only image of that heavenly rayWhereof some glance doth in mine eie […]

Venemous tongue, tipt with vile adders sting,Of that self kynd with which the Furies fell,Their snaky heads doe combe, from which a springOf poysoned words and spightfull speeches well,Let all the plagues and horrid paines of hellUpon thee fall for thine accursed hyre,That with false forged lyes, which thou didst tell.In my true Love did […]

The world, that cannot deeme of worthy things,When I doe praise her, say I doe but flatter:So does the cuckow, when the mavis* sings,Begin his witlesse note apace to clatter.But they, that skill not of so heavenly matter,All that they know not, envy or admyre;Rather then envy, let them wonder at her,But not to deeme […]

Let not one sparke of filthy lustfull fyreBreake out, that may her sacred peace molest;Ne one light glance of sensuall desyreAttempt to work her gentle mindes unrest:But pure affections bred in spotlesse brest,And modest thoughts breathd from well-tempred spirits,Goe visit her in her chaste bowre of rest,Accompanyde with angelick delightes.There fill your selfe with those […]

Ioy of my life! full oft for loving youI blesse my lot, that was so lucky placed:But then the more your owne mishap I rew,That are so much by so meane love embased.For had the equall hevens so much you gracedIn this as in the rest, ye mote invent*Some hevenly wit, whose verse could have […]

Fayre is my Love, when her fayre golden hairesWith the loose wynd ye waving chance to marke;Fayre, when the rose in her red cheekes appeares,Or in her eyes the fyre of love does sparke;Fayre, when her brest, lyke a rich laden barke,With pretious merchandize she forth doth lay;Fayre, when that cloud of pryde, which oft […]

After so long a race as I have runThrough Faery land, which those six books compile,Give leave to rest me being half foredonne,And gather to my selfe new breath awhile.Then, as a steed refreshed after toyle,Out of my prison I will break anew,And stoutly will that second work assoyle*,With strong endevour and attention dew.Till then […]

CANTO VII The Redcrosse knight is captive madeby Gyaunt proud opprest,Prince Arthur meets with Una great-ly with those newes distrest. I What man so wise, what earthly wit so ware,As to discry the crafty cunning traine,By which deceipt doth maske in visour faire,And cast her colours dyed deepe in graine,To seeme like Truth, whose shape […]

CANTO VIII Faire virgin, to redeeme her dearebrings Arthur to the fight:Who slayes that Gyant, woundes the beast,and strips Duessa quight. I Ay me, how many perils doe enfoldThe righteous man, to make him daily fall,Were not that heavenly grace doth him uphold,And stedfast truth acquite him out of all.Her love is firme, her care […]

CANTO IX His loves and lignage Arthur tells:the Knights knit friendly hands:Sir Trevisan flies from Despayre,whom Redcrosse Knight withstands. I O goodly golden chaine,[*] wherewith yfereThe vertues linked are in lovely wize:And noble mindes of yore allyed were,In brave poursuit of chevalrous emprize,That none did others safety despize, 5Nor aid envy to him, in need […]

CANTO X Her faithfull knight faire Una bringsto house of Holinesse,Where he is taught repentance, andthe way to heavenly blesse. I What man is he, that boasts of fleshly mightAnd vaine assurance of mortality,Which all so soone as it doth come to fightAgainst spirituall foes, yeelds by and by,Or from the field most cowardly doth […]

CANTO XI The knight with that old Dragon fightstwo dayes incessantly;The third him overthrowes, and gaynsmost glorious victory. I High time now gan it wex for Una faireTo thinke of those her captive Parents deare,And their forwasted kingdome to repaire:Whereto whenas they now approched neare,With hartie wordes her knight she gan to cheare, 5And in […]