Thomas Campion (1567-1620)

Think'st Thou To Seduce Me Then

Think'st thou to seduce me then with words that have no meaning? 
Parrots so can learn to prate, our speech by pieces gleaning; 
Nurses teach their children so about the time of weaning. 

Learn to speak first, then to woo; to wooing much pertaineth: 
He that courts us, wanting art, soon falters when he feigneth, 
Looks asquint on his discourse, and smiles when he complaineth. 

Skillful anglers hide their hooks, fit baits for every season; 
But with crooked pins fish thou, as babes do that want reason: 
Gudgeons only can be caught with such poor tricks of treason. 

Ruth forgive me, if I erred from humane heart's compassion, 
When I laughed sometimes too much to see thy foolish fashion: 
But, alas, who less could do that found so good occasion?

Geoffrey Chaucer (1325?1400)

48       Som Cristen man shal wedde me anon,

                Some Christian man shall wed me straightway,
49       For thanne th' apostle seith that I am free
            For then the apostle says that I am free
50       To wedde, a Goddes half, where it liketh me.
                To wed, by God's side (I swear), wherever it pleases me.
51       He seith that to be wedded is no synne;
                He says that to be wedded is no sin;
52       Bet is to be wedded than to brynne.
                It is better to be wedded than to burn.
53       What rekketh me, thogh folk seye vileynye
                What do I care, though folk speak evil
54       Of shrewed Lameth and his bigamye?
                Of cursed Lamech and his bigamy?
55       I woot wel Abraham was an hooly man,
                I know well Abraham was a holy man,
56       And Jacob eek, as ferforth as I kan;
                And Jacob also, insofar as I know;
57       And ech of hem hadde wyves mo than two,
                And each of them had more than two wives,
58       And many another holy man also.
                And many another holy man also.
59       Wher can ye seye, in any manere age,
                Where can you find, in any historical period,
60       That hye God defended mariage
                That high God forbad marriage
61       By expres word? I pray yow, telleth me.
                By express word? I pray you, tell me.
62       Or where comanded he virginitee?
                Or where commanded he virginity?
63       I woot as wel as ye, it is no drede,
                I know as well as you, it is no doubt,
64       Th' apostel, whan he speketh of maydenhede,
                The apostle, when he speaks of maidenhood,
65       He seyde that precept therof hadde he noon.
                He said that he had no precept concerning it.
66       Men may conseille a womman to been oon,
                Men may advise a woman to be one,
67       But conseillyng is no comandement.
                But advice is no commandment.

Geoffrey Chaucer (1325?-1400)

from The Canterbury Tales

 1         Whan that Aprill with his shoures soote

                  When April with its sweet-smelling showers
2         The droghte of March hath perced to the roote,
                 Has pierced the drought of March to the root,
3         And bathed every veyne in swich licour
                 And bathed every vein (of the plants) in such liquid
4         Of which vertu engendred is the flour;
                 By which power the flower is created;
5         Whan Zephirus eek with his sweete breeth
                 When the West Wind also with its sweet breath,
6         Inspired hath in every holt and heeth
                 In every wood and field has breathed life into 
7         The tendre croppes, and the yonge sonne
                 The tender new leaves, and the young sun
8         Hath in the Ram his half cours yronne,
                 Has run half its course in Aries,
9         And smale foweles maken melodye,
                 And small fowls make melody,
10         That slepen al the nyght with open ye
                 Those that sleep all the night with open eyes
11         (So priketh hem Nature in hir corages),
                 (So Nature incites them in their hearts),
12         Thanne longen folk to goon on pilgrimages,
                 Then folk long to go on pilgrimages,
13         And palmeres for to seken straunge strondes,
                 And professional pilgrims to seek foreign shores,
14         To ferne halwes, kowthe in sondry londes;
                 To distant shrines, known in various lands;
15         And specially from every shires ende
                 And specially from every shire's end
16         Of Engelond to Caunterbury they wende,
                 Of England to Canterbury they travel,
17         The hooly blisful martir for to seke,
                 To seek the holy blessed martyr,
18         That hem hath holpen whan that they were seeke.
                 Who helped them when they were sick.

Beowulf (700?)

 

I

When he heard about Grendel, Hygelac’s thane Was on home ground, over in Geatland.
There was no one else like him alive.
In his day, he was the mightiest man on earth, High­born and powerful. He ordered a boat
That would ply the waves. He announced his plan: To sail the swan’s road and search out that king, The famous prince who needed defenders.

                                            ********

Then a proud warrior

Questioned the men concerning their origins:
“Where do you come from, carrying these
Decorated shields and shirts of mail,
These cheek­hinged helmets and javelins?
I am Hrothgar’s herald and officer.
I have never seen so impressive or large
An assembly of strangers. Stoutness of heart,
Bravery not banishment, must have brought you to Hrothgar.”

The man whose name was known for courage, 340 The Geat leader, resolute in his helmet,
Answered in return: “We are retainers
From Hygelac’s band. Beowulf is my name.

                                                ********

IV

Then out of the night
Came the shadow­stalker, stealthy and swift;
The hall­guards were slack, asleep at their posts,
All except one; it was widely understood
That as long as the Lord forbade it,
The fiend could never bear them beyond his shadow­bourne. One man, however, was in fighting mood,
Awake and on edge, spoiling for action.

In off the moors, down through the mist­bands 710 God­cursed Grendel came greedily loping.
The bane of the race of men roamed forth,
Hunting for a prey in the high hall.

                                                    ********

Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542)

 

Farewell Love and all thy Laws for ever

Farewell love and all thy laws forever;

Thy baited hooks shall tangle me no more.

Senec and Plato call me from thy lore

To perfect wealth, my wit for to endeavour.

In blind error when I did persever,

Thy sharp repulse, that pricketh aye so sore,

Hath taught me to set in trifles no store

And scape forth, since liberty is lever.

Therefore farewell; go trouble younger hearts

And in me claim no more authority.

With idle youth go use thy property

And thereon spend thy many brittle darts,

For hitherto though I have lost all my time,

Me lusteth no lenger rotten boughs to climb.

Sir Thomas Wyatt (1503-1542)

 

Remembrance

They flee from me, that sometime did me seek 

    With naked foot, stalking in my chamber. 

I have seen them gentle, tame, and meek, 

    That now are wild, and do not remember 

    That sometime they put themselves in danger 

         To take bread at my hand; and now they range 

         Busily seeking with a continual change. 

Thanked be fortune it hath been otherwise 

    Twenty times better; but once, in special, 

In thin array, after a pleasant guise, 

    When her loose gown from her shoulders did fall, 

    And she me caught in her arms long and small; 

         Therewith all sweetly did me kiss, 

         And softly said, ‘Dear heart, how like you this?’ 

It was no dream: I lay broad waking: 

    But all is turned, thorough my gentleness, 

Into a strange fashion of forsaking; 

    And I have leave to go of her goodness, 

    And she also to use newfangleness. 

         But since that I so kindly am served, 

         I would fain know what she hath deserved.