Drink to me Only With Thine Eyes
Romantic verses by Ben Jonson
Home Page    A Celebration of Charys I (His Excuse For Loving)    II (How He Saw Her)   III (What He Suffered)    IV (Her Triumph)    V (His Discourse With Cupid)    VI (Claiming a Second Kiss By Desert)    VII (On Begging Another)    VIII (Urging Her of a Promise)   IX Her Man Described By Her Own Dictamen    X (Another Lady's Exception, present at the Hearing)   An Elegy (i)    An Elegy (ii)    A Nymph's Passion        Clerimont's Song      Song to Celia   The Hour Glass    To Celia    Why I Write Not of Love   

 

Excerpt: The Poetaster

If I freely may discover
What would please me in my lover,
Iwould have her fair and witty,
Savouring more of court than city ;
A little proud, but full of pity :
Light and humorous in her toying,
Oft building hopes, and soon destroying,
Long, but sweet in the enjoying ;
Neither too easy, nor too hard :
All extremes I would have barr'd.

She should be allowed her passions,
So they were but used as fashions ;
Sometimes froward, and then frowning,
Sometimes sickish, and then swooning,
Every fit with change still crowning.
Purely jealous, I would have her,
Then only constant when I care her :
'Tis a virtue should not save her.
Thus, nor her delicates would cloy me,
Neither her peevishness annoy me.

 

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