nus and adonis(维纳斯和阿多尼斯)-第8章
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Could rule them both without ten women's wit。'
Thus hoping that Adonis is alive;
Her rash suspect sile doth extenuate; And that his beauty may the
better thrive; With Death she humbly doth insinuate;
Tells him of trophies; statues; tombs; and stories His victories; his
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triumphs; and his glories。
'O Jove!' quoth she; 'how much a fool was I; To be of such a weak and
silly mind
To wail his death who lives and must not die Till mutual overthrow of
mortal kind; For he being dead; with him is beauty slain; And; beauty dead;
black chaos comes again。
'Fie; fie; fond love! thou art so full of fear As one with treasure laden;
hemm'd with thieves Trifles; unwitnessed with eye or ear; Thy coward
heart with false bethinking grieves。'
Even at this word she hears a merry horn Whereat she leaps that was
but late forlorn。
As falcon to the lure; away she flies; The grass stoops not; she treads
on it so light;
And in her haste unfortunately spies The foul boar's conquest on her
fair delight; Which seen; her eyes; as murder'd with the view; Like stars
asham'd of day; themselves withdrew:
Or; as the snail; whose tender horns being hit;
Shrinks backwards in his shelly cave with pain; And there; all
smother'd up; in shade doth sit; Long after fearing to creep forth again;
So; at his bloody view; her eyes are fled Into the deep dark cabills of
her head;
Where they resign their office and their light To the disposing of her
troubled brain;
Who bids them still consort with ugly night; And never wound the
heart with looks again; Who; like a king perplexed in his throne; By their
suggestion gives a deadly groan;
Whereat each tributary subject quakes; As when the wind; imprison'd
in the ground; Struggling for passage; earth's foundation shakes; Which
with cold terror doth men's minds confound。 This mutiny each part doth so
surprise l
That from their dark beds once more leap her eyes;
And; being open'd; threw unwilling light Upon the wide wound that
the boar had trench'd In his soft flank; whose wonted lily white
With purple tears; that his wound wept; was drench'd: No flower was
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nigh; no grass; herb; leaf; or weed But stole his blood and seem'd with him
to bleed。
This solemn sympathy poor Venus noteth;
Over one shoulder doth she hang her head; Dumbly she passions;
franticly she doteth; She thinks he could not die; he is not dead:
Her voice is stopp'd; her joints forget to bow; Her eyes are mad that
they have wept till now。
Upon his hurt she looks so steadfastly; That her sight dazzling makes
the wound seem three; And then she reprehends her mangling eye;
That makes more gashes where no breach should be: His face seems
twain; each several limb is doubled; For oft the eye mistakes; the brain
being troubled。
'My tongue cannot express my grief for one;
And yet;' quoth she; 'behold two Adons dead! My sighs are blown
away; my salt tears gone; Mine eyes are turn'd to fire; my heart to lead:
Heavy heart's lead; melt at mine eyes' red fire! So shall I die by drops
of hot desire。
'Alas! poor world; what treasure hast thou lost! What face remains
alive that's worth the viewing? Whose tongue is music now? what canst
thou boast Of things long since; or anything ensuing?
The flowers are sweet; their colours fresh and trim; But true…sweet
beauty liv'd and died with him。
'Bonnet nor veil henceforth no creature wear!
Nor sun nor wind will ever strive to kiss you: Having no fair to lose;
you need not fear; The sun doth scorn you; and the wind doth hiss you:
But when Adonis liv'd; sun and sharp air
Lurk'd like two thieves; to rob him of his fair:
'And therefore would he put his bonnet on; Under whose brim the
gaudy sun would peep;
The wind would blow it off; and; being gone; Play with his locks:
then would Adonis weep; And straight; in pity of his tender years; They
both would strive who first should dry his tears。
'To see his face the lion walk'd along
Behind some hedge; because he would not fear him; To recreate
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himself when he hath sung; The tiger would be tame and gently hear him;
If he had spoke; the wolf would leave his prey; And never fright the
silly lamb that day。
'When he beheld his shadow in the brook; The fishes spread on it their
golden gills;
When he was by; the birds such pleasure took; That some would sing;
some other in their bills Would bring him mulberries and ripe…red cherries
He fed them with his sight; they him with berries。
'But this foul; grim; and urchin…spouted boar;
Whose downward eye still looketh for a grave; Ne'er saw the
beauteous livery that he wore; Witness the entertainment that he gave:
If he did see his face; why then I know He thought to kiss him; and
hath killed him so。
''Tis true; 'tis true; thus was Adonis slain: He ran upon the boar with his
sharp spear;
Who did not whet his teeth at him again; But by a kiss thought to
persuade him there; And nuzzling in his flank; the loving swine Sheath'd
unaware the tusk in his soft groin。
'Had I been tooth'd like him; I must confess; With kissing him I should
have kill'd him first; But he is dead; and never did he bless My youth with
his; the more am I accurst。'
With this she falleth in the place she stood; And stains her face with
his congealed blood。
Sho looks upon his lips; and they are pale; She takes him by the hand;
and that is cold;
She whispers in his ears a heavy tale; As if they heard the woeful
words she told; She lifts the coffer…lids that close his eyes; Where; lo! two
lamps; burnt out; in darkness lies;
Two glasses where herself herself beheld
A thousand times; and now no more reflect; Their virtue lost; wherein
they late excell'd; And every beauty robb'd of his effect:
'Wonder of time;' quoth she; 'this is my spite; That; you being dead;
the day should yet be light。
'Since thou art dead; lo! here I prophesy; Sorrow on love hereafter
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shall attend:
It shall be waited on with jealousy; Find sweet beginning; but
unsavoury end; Ne'er settled equally; but high or low; That all love's
pleasure shall not match his woe。
'It shall be fickle; false; and full of fraud;
Bud and be blastod in a breathing…while; The bottom poison; and the
top o'erstraw'd With sweets that shall the truest sight beguile:
The strongest body shall it make most weak; Strike the wise dumb
and teach the fool to speak。
'It shall be sparing and too full of riot; Teaching decrepit age to tread
the measures;
The staring ruffian shall it keep in quiet; Pluck down the rich; enrich
the poor with treasures; It shall be raging mad; and silly mild; Make the
young old; the old become a child。
'It shall suspect where is no cause of fear; It shall not fear where it
should most mistrust; It shall be merciful; and too severe;