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That for thy right, my self will bear all wrong. |
89 |
Say that thou didst forsake me for some fault, |
And I will comment upon that offence, |
Speak of my lameness, and I straight will halt: |
Against thy reasons making no defence. |
Thou canst not (love) disgrace me half so ill, |
To set a form upon desired change, |
As I'll my self disgrace, knowing thy will, |
I will acquaintance strangle and look strange: |
Be absent from thy walks and in my tongue, |
Thy sweet beloved name no more shall dwell, |
Lest I (too much profane) should do it wronk: |
And haply of our old acquaintance tell. |
For thee, against my self I'll vow debate, |
For I must ne'er love him whom thou dost hate. |
90 |
Then hate me when thou wilt, if ever, now, |
Now while the world is bent my deeds to cross, |
join with the spite of fortune, make me bow, |
And do not drop in for an after-loss: |
Ah do not, when my heart hath 'scaped this sorrow, |
Come in the rearward of a conquered woe, |
Give not a windy night a rainy morrow, |
To linger out a purposed overthrow. |
If thou wilt leave me, do not leave me last, |
When other petty griefs have done their spite, |
But in the onset come, so shall I taste |
At first the very worst of fortune's might. |
And other strains of woe, which now seem woe, |
Compared with loss of thee, will not seem so. |
91 |
Some glory in their birth, some in their skill, |
Some in their wealth, some in their body's force, |
Some in their garments though new-fangled ill: |
Some in their hawks and hounds, some in their horse. |
And every humour hath his adjunct pleasure, |
Wherein it finds a joy above the rest, |
But these particulars are not my measure, |
All these I better in one general best. |
Thy love is better than high birth to me, |
Richer than wealth, prouder than garments' costs, |
Of more delight than hawks and horses be: |
And having thee, of all men's pride I boast. |
Wretched in this alone, that thou mayst take, |
All this away, and me most wretchcd make. |
92 |
But do thy worst to steal thy self away, |
For term of life thou art assured mine, |
And life no longer than thy love will stay, |
For it depends upon that love of thine. |
Then need I not to fear the worst of wrongs, |
When in the least of them my life hath end, |
I see, a better state to me belongs |
Than that, which on thy humour doth depend. |
Thou canst not vex me with inconstant mind, |
Since that my life on thy revolt doth lie, |
O what a happy title do I find, |
Happy to have thy love, happy to die! |
But what's so blessed-fair that fears no blot? |
Thou mayst be false, and yet I know it not. |
93 |
So shall I live, supposing thou art true, |
Like a deceived husband, so love's face, |
May still seem love to me, though altered new: |
Thy looks with me, thy heart in other place. |
For there can live no hatred in thine eye, |
Therefore in that I cannot know thy change, |
In many's looks, the false heart's history |
Is writ in moods and frowns and wrinkles strange. |
But heaven in thy creation did decree, |
That in thy face sweet love should ever dwell, |
Whate'er thy thoughts, or thy heart's workings be, |
Thy looks should nothing thence, but sweetness tell. |
How like Eve's apple doth thy beauty grow, |
If thy sweet virtue answer not thy show. |
94 |
They that have power to hurt, and will do none, |
That do not do the thing, they most do show, |
Who moving others, are themselves as stone, |
Unmoved, cold, and to temptation slow: |
They rightly do inherit heaven's graces, |
And husband nature's riches from expense, |
Tibey are the lords and owners of their faces, |
Others, but stewards of their excellence: |
The summer's flower is to the summer sweet, |
Though to it self, it only live and die, |
But if that flower with base infection meet, |