An Exellent Sonnet of the Unfortunate Loves of Hero and Leander.
To the Tune of,
Gerhard's Mistress,
&c.
Hero.
HOw fares
My dear
Leander? O vouchsafe to speak,
least my heart break:
I banisht am from thy sweet company;
'Tis not
Thy Father's Anger can ab
[...]se my Love,
I still will prove
Thy faithful Friend until such time I dye:
Though Fate
And Fortune do conspire,—
to interrupt our Love,
In spight of Fate and Fortune's Hate,
I still will constant prove:
And though
Our angry Friends, in malice,
now our Bodies part,
Nor Friends nor Foes, nor Scars nor Blows,
shal
[...] separate our Hearts.
Leander.
What Voice
Is this, th
[...]t calls
Leander from her Bower,
from yonder Tower?
The Eccho of this Voice doth sure proceed—
Hero.
Leander,
Tis thy
Hero
[...]in would come to thee,
if it might be;
Thy absence m
[...]es my t
[...]nder Heart to bléed:
But oh!
This pleasant River
Hellifponet,
which is the Peoples Wonder,
Those Waves so high do Injury,
by parting us asunder:
And though
There's Ferry-men good store,
yet none will stand my Friend,
To waft we o're to that fair Shore,
Where all my Grief shall end.
Leander.
Hero,
Though I am thy constant Lover still,
and ever will,
My angry Father is thy Enemy;
He still
Doth strive to keep's asunder, now and then,
poor Ferry-men,
They dare not waft thee over least they dye:
Nor yet
Dare they convey me
unto my dear
Hero: now
My Father's Rage wil not asswage,
nor will the same al
[...]ow:
Be patient
Then, dear
Hero, now,
as I am
[...]rue to thee,
Even so I trust thou
[...]rt as
[...],
and faithful unto me.
Hero.
[Page]
Is there
No way to stay an angry Father's Wrath,
whose Fury hath
Bereav'd his Child of Comfort and Content?
Leander.
O no,
Dear
Hero! there's no way that I do know,
to ease my Woe;
My Days of Ioy and Comfort now are spent,
You may
As well go tame
a Lyon in the Wilderness,
As to perswade my Father's Aid,
to help me in Distress:
His Anger
And his River hath
kept us asunder long;
He hath his Will, his Humour still,
and we have all the Wrong.
Hero.
'Tis not
Thy Father's Anger, nor his River deep,
the which shall keep
Me from the Imbracements of my dearest Friend,
For through
This silver Stream, my way I mean to take,
even for thy sake,
For thy dear sake, my dearest Life I'll spend:
Though Waves
And Winds should both conspire
mine Enemies to be,
My Love's so strong, I fear no wrong
can happen unto me:
O meet
Me in thy Garden,
where this pleasant River glides,
Lend me thy Hand, draw me to Land,
whatever me betides.
Now must
I make my tender slender Arms my Oars,
help Watry Powers!
Ye little Fishes teach me how to swim;
And
[...]ll
Ye Sea-nymps guard me unto yonder Banks,
I'll give you Thanks,
Bear up my Body, strengthen every Limb:
I come,
Leander, now prepare
thy lovely Arms for me;
I come, dear Love, assist me
Jove,
I may so happy be.
But, oh!
A mighty Tempest rose,
and he was drown'd that Tide,
In her fair sight, her Heart's Delight
and so with Grief she dy'd.
But when
Her aged Father these things understands,
he wrings his Hands,
And tears his hoary Hair from of his Head,
Society
He shuns, and doth forsake his Meat,
his Grief's so great;
And oft doth make the lowly ground his Bed;
O! my
Leander, would that I
had dy'd to save thy Life;
Or that I had, when I was sad,
made thee brave
Hero's Wife:
It was
My Trespass, and I do
confess I wronged thee,
Posterity shall know thereby
the Fault lay all in me.
But since
The Waves have cast his Body on the Land,
upon the Sand,
His Corpse shall buried be in solemn wise,
One Grave
Shall serve them both, and one most stately Tomb,
she'll make him room,
Although her Corpse be breathless where she lies.
Ye Fathers
Have a special Care now,
whatsoe're you do,
For those that part true loyal Hearts,
themselves were never true.
Though Fate
And Fortune cross poor Lovers,
sometimes as we do know,
Pray understand, have you no hand
even in their Overthrow.
London: Princed by and for W. O. and sold by the Booksellers.