| Henry Charles Beeching, ed. (1859–1919). Lyra Sacra: A Book of Religious Verse. 1903. | | | | Sonnet: “Leave me, O love” | | By Sir Philip Sidney (1554–1586) |
| | | LEAVE 1 me, O love which reachest but to dust, | |
| And thou, my mind, aspire to higher things, | |
| Grow rich in that which never taketh rust; | |
| Whatever fades but fading pleasure brings. | |
| Draw in thy beams, and humble all thy might | 5 |
| To that sweet yoke where lasting freedoms be; | |
| Which breaks the clouds and opens forth the light, | |
| That doth both shine and give us sight to see. | |
| Oh, take fast hold; let that light be thy guide | |
| In this small course which birth draws out to death, | 10 |
| And think how ill becometh him to slide | |
| Who seeketh heaven and comes of heavenly breath. | |
| Then farewell world, thy uttermost I see; | |
| Eternal Love, maintain Thy life in me. | |
| | | Note 1. This Sonnet concludes the series of “Sonnets to Stella.” [back] | | |
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