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A PASTORALL ELEGIE 547
Astrophel.
SHep heards that wont on pipes of oaten reed, For he could pipe and daunce, and caroll sweet,
SOfI times to plaine your loues concealed smart Emongst the shepheards in their shearing feast
And with your piteous layes haue learnd to breed As Somers larke that with her song doth greet
Compassion in a counlrey lasses hart The dawning day forth comming from the East
Hearken ye gentle shepheards to my song. And layes of loue he also could compose
And place my dokfull plaint your plaints emong Thrise happie she, whom he to praise did chose
To you alone I sing this mournfull verse, Full many Maydens often did him woo,
The mournfulst verse that euer man heard tell Them to vouchsafe emongst his rimes to name,
To you whose softened hearts it may empterse, Or make for them as he was wont to doo,
With dolours dart for death of Astrophel 10 For her that did his heart with loue inflame
To you I sing and to none other wight, For which they promised to dight, for him, 41
For well I wot my rymes bene rudely dight Gay chapelets of flowers and gyrlonds trim
Yet as they been, if any nycer wit
And many aNymph both of the wood and brooke,
Shall hap to heare, or couel them to read Soone as his oaten pipe began to shrill
Thinke he, that such are for such ones most Both fit, christall wells and shadie groues forsooke,
Made not to please the liuing but the dead To heare the charmes of his enchanting skill
And if in him found pity euer place, And brought him presents, flowers if it were
Let him be moov d to pity such a case prime,
AGentle Shepheard borne in Arcady, Or mellow fruit if it were haruest time
Of gentlest race that euer shepheard bore But he for none of them did care a whit,
About the grassie bancks of Hœmony, Yet wood Gods for them often sighed sore 50
Did keepe his sheep, his litle stock and store Ne for their gifts vnworthie of his wit,
Full carefully he kept them day and night, Yet not vnworthie of the countries store
In fairest fields, and Astrophel he hight For one alone he cared, for one he sight,
Young Astrophel the pride of shepheards praise, His lifes desire, and his deare loues delight
Young Astropfiel the rusticke lasses loue Stella the faire, the fairest star in skie,
Far passing all the pastors of his daies, As faire as Venus or the fairest faire
In all that setmly shepheard might behoue 10 A fairer star saw neuer liuing eie,
In one thing onely faying of the best, Shothersharp pointed beames through purestaire
That he was not so happie as the rest Her he did loue, her he alone did honor,
lor from the time that first the Nymph his His thoughts, his rimes, his songs were all vpon
mother
her 60
Him forth did bring, and taught her lambs to To her he vowd the seruice of his daies,
feed,
On her he spent the riches of his wit
A sclender swame excelling far each other, For her he made hymnes of immortall praise,
In comely shape, like her that did him breed, Of onely her he sung, he thought, he writ
He grew vp fast in goodnesse and in grace, Her, and but her, of loue he worthie deemed,
And doubly faire wox both in mynd and face For all the rest but litle he esteemed
Winch daily more and more he did augment, Ne her with ydle words alone he wowed,
With gentle vsage and demeanure myld 20 And verses vaine (yet verses are not vaine)
That all mens hearts with secret rauishment But with braue deeds to her sole seruice vowed,
He stole away, and weetmgly beguyld And bold atchieuements her did entertaine 70
Ne spight it selfe that all good things doth spill, For both in deeds and words he nourtred was,
Found ought in him, that she could say was ill Both wise and hardie (too hardie alaa)
His sports were faire, his loyance innocent, In wrestling nimble, and in renning swift,
Sweet without sowre, and honny without gall In shooting steddie, and in swimming strong
And he himselfe seemd made for meriment, Well made to strike, to throw, to leape ,to lift,
Menly masking both in bowre and hall And all the sports that shepheards are emong
There was no pleasure nor delight full play, In euery one he vanquisht euery one,
When Astrophel so euer was away 30 He vanquisht all, and vanquisht was of none.