venus and adonis-第5章
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With javelin's point a churlish swine to gore;
Whose tushes never sheathed he whetteth still;
Like to a mortal butcher bent to kill。
'On his bow…back he hath a battle set
Of bristly pikes that ever threat his foes;
His eyes like glow…worms shine when he doth fret;
His snout digs sepulchres where'er he goes;
Being moved; he strikes whate'er is in his way;
And whom he strikes his crooked tushes slay。
'His brawny sides; with hairy bristles armed;
Are better proof than thy spear's point can enter;
His short thick neck cannot be easily harmed;
Being ireful; on the lion he will venter:
The thorny brambles and embracing bushes;
As fearful of him; part; through whom he rushes。
'Alas; he nought esteems that face of thine;
To which Love's eyes pays tributary gazes;
Nor thy soft hands; sweet lips; and crystal eyne;
Whose full perfection all the world amazes;
But having thee at vantage… wondrous dread!…
Would root these beauties as he roots the mead。
'O; let him keep his loathsome cabin still;
Beauty hath nought to do with such foul fiends。
Come not within his danger by thy will;
They that thrive well take counsel of their friends。
When thou didst name the boar; not to dissemble;
I feared thy fortune; and my joints did tremble。
'Didst thou not mark my face? was it not white?
Saws't thou not signs of fear lurk in mine eye?
Grew I not faint? and fell I not downright?
Within my bosom; whereon thou dost lie;
My boding heart pants; beats; and takes no rest;
But; like an earthquake; shakes thee on my breast。
'For where Love reigns; disturbing Jealousy
Doth call himself Affection's sentinel;
Gives false alarms; suggesteth mutiny;
And in a peaceful hour doth cry 〃Kill; kill!〃
Distemp'ring gentle Love in his desire;
As air and water do abate the fire。
'This sour informer; this bate…breeding spy;
This canker that eats up Love's tender spring;
This carry…tale; dissentious Jealousy;
That sometime true news; sometime false doth bring;
Knocks at my heart; and whispers in mine ear
That if I love thee I thy death should fear;
'And more than so; presenteth to mine eye
The picture of an angry chafing boar
Under whose sharp fangs on his back doth lie
An image like thyself; all stained with gore;
Whose blood upon the fresh flowers being shed
Doth make them droop with grief and hang the head。
'What should I do; seeing thee so indeed;
That tremble at th'imagination?
The thought of it doth make my faint heart bleed;
And fear doth teach it divination:
I prophesy thy death; my living sorrow;
If thou encounter with the boar to…morrow。
'But if thou needs wilt hunt; be ruled by me;
Uncouple at the timorous flying hare;
Or at the fox which lives by subtlety;
Or at the roe which no encounter dare。
Pursue these fearful creatures o'er the downs;
And on thy well…breathed horse keep with thy hounds。
'And when thou hast on foot the purblind hare;
Mark the poor wretch; to overshoot his troubles;
How he outruns the wind; and with what care
He cranks and crosses with a thousand doubles。
The many musits through the which he goes
Are like a labyrinth to amaze his foes。
'Sometime he runs among a flock of sheep;
To make the cunning hounds mistake their smell;
And sometime where earth…delving conies keep;
To stop the loud pursuers in their yell;
And sometime sorteth with a herd of deer。
Danger deviseth shifts; wit waits on fear。
'For there his smell with others being mingled;
The hot scent…snuffing hounds are driven to doubt;
Ceasing their clamorous cry till they have singled
With much ado the cold fault cleanly out。
Then do they spend their mouths; Echo replies;
As if another chase were in the skies。
'By this; poor Wat; far off upon a hill;
Stands on his hinder legs with list'ning ear;
To hearken if his foes pursue him still;
Anon their loud alarums he doth hear;
And now his grief may be compared well
To one sore sick that hears the passing…bell。
'Then shalt thou see the dew…bedabbled wretch
Turn; and return; indenting with the way;
Each envious brier his weary legs do scratch;
Each shadow makes him stop; each murmur stay;
For misery is trodden on by many;
And being low never relieved by any。
'Lie quietly and hear a little more;
Nay; do not struggle; for thou shalt not rise。
To make thee hate the hunting of the boar;
Unlike myself thou hear'st me moralize;
Applying this to that; and so to so;
For love can comment upon every woe。
'Where did I leave?' 'No matter where;' quoth he;
'Leave me; and then the story aptly ends。
The night is spent。' 'Why; what of that?' quoth she。
'I am'; quoth he; 'expected of my friends;
And now 'tis dark; and going I shall fall。'
'In night'; quoth she; 'desire sees best of all。
'But if thou fall; O; then imagine this;
The earth; in love with thee; thy footing trips;
And all is but to rob thee of a kiss。
Rich preys make true men thieves; so do thy lips
Make modest Dian cloudy and forlorn;
Lest she should steal a kiss; and die forsworn。
'Now of this dark night I perceive the reason:
Cynthia for shame obscures her silver shine;
Till forging Nature be condemned of treason;
For stealing moulds from heaven that were divine;
Wherein she framed thee; in high heaven's despite;
To shame the sun by day and her by night。
'And therefore hath she bribed the Destinies
To cross the curious workmanship of Nature;
To mingle beauty with infirmities
And pure perfection with impure defeature;
Making it subject to the tyranny
Of mad mischances and much misery;
'As burning fevers; agues pale and faint;
Life…poisoning pestilence and frenzies wood;
The marrow…eating sickness whose attaint
Disorder breeds by heating of the blood;
Surfeits; imposthumes; grief and damned despair;
Swear Nature's death for framing thee so fair。
'And not the least of all these maladies
But in one minute's fight brings beauty under。
Both favour; savour; hue and qualities;
Whereat th'impartial gazer late did wonder;
Are on the sudden wasted; thawed and done;
As mountain snow melts with the midday sun。
'Therefore; despite of fruitless chastity;
Love…lacking vestals and self…loving nuns;
That on the earth would breed a scarcity
And barren dearth of daughters and of sons;
Be prodigal: the lamp that burns by night
Dries up his oil to lend the world his light。
'What is thy body but a swallowing grave;
Seeming to bury that posterity
Which by the rights of time thou needs must have;
If thou destroy them not in dark obscurity?
If so; the world will hold thee in disdain;
Sith in thy pride so fair a hope is slain。
'So in thyself thyself art made away;
A mischief worse than civil home…bred strife;
Or theirs whose desperate hands themselves do slay;
Or butcher sire that reaves his son of life。
Foul cank'ring rust the hidden treasure frets;
But gold that's put to use more gold begets。'
'Nay; then;' quoth Adon; you will fall again
Into your idle over…handied theme;
The kiss I gave you is bestowed in vain;
And all in vain you strive against the stream;
For; by this black…faced night; desire's foul nurse;
Your treatise makes me like you worse and worse。
'If love have lent you twenty thousand tongues;
And every tongue more moving than your own;
Bewitching like the wanton mermaid's songs;
Yet from mine ear the tempting tune is blown;
For know; my heart stands armed in mine ear;
And will not let a false s