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| LET 1 Mother Earth now deck herself in flowers, | |
| To see her offspring seek a good increase, | |
| Where justest love doth vanquish Cupid’s powers, | |
| And war of thoughts is swallowed up in peace, | |
| Which never may decrease, | 5 |
| But, like the turtles fair, | |
| Live one in two, a well-united pair: | |
| Which that no chance may stain, | |
| O Hymen! long their coupled joys maintain! | |
| |
| O Heaven! awake, show forth thy stately face; | 10 |
| Let not these slumbering clouds thy beauties hide, | |
| But with thy cheerful presence help to grace | |
| The honest Bridegroom and the bashful Bride; | |
| Whose loves may ever bide, | |
| Like to the elm and vine, | 15 |
| With mutual embracements them to twine: | |
| In which delightful pain, | |
| O Hymen! long their coupled joys maintain! | |
| |
| Ye Muses all! which chaste affects allow | |
| And have to Thyrsis shewed your secret skill, | 20 |
| To this chaste love your sacred favours bow; | |
| And so to him and her your gifts distill | |
| That they all vice may kill, | |
| And, like to lilies pure, | |
| May please all eyes, and spotless may endure: | 25 |
| Where that all bliss may reign, | |
| O Hymen! long their coupled joys maintain! | |
| |
| Ye Nymphs which in the waters empire have! | |
| Since Thyrsis’ music oft doth yield you praise, | |
| Grant to the thing which we for Thyrsis crave: | 30 |
| Let one time—but long first—close up their days, | |
| One grave their bodies seize; | |
| And, like two rivers sweet | |
| When they though divers do together meet, | |
| One stream both streams contain! | 35 |
| O Hymen! long their coupled joys maintain! | |
| |
| Pan! father Pan, the god of silly sheep! | |
| Whose care is cause that they in number grow,— | |
| Have much more care of them that them do keep, | |
| Since from these good the others’ good doth flow; | 40 |
| And make their issue show | |
| In number like the herd | |
| Of younglings which thyself with love hast reared, | |
| Or like the drops of rain! | |
| O Hymen! long their coupled joys maintain! | 45 |
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| Virtue, if not a God, yet God’s chief part! | |
| Be thou the knot of this their open vow: | |
| That still he be her head, she be his heart; | |
| He lean to her, she unto him do bow; | |
| Each other still allow, | 50 |
| Like oak and mistletoe; | |
| Her strength from him, his praise from her do grow! | |
| In which most lovely train, | |
| O Hymen! long their coupled joys maintain! | |
| |
| But thou, foul Cupid, sire to lawless lust! | 55 |
| Be thou far hence with thy empoisoned dart, | |
| Which, though of glittering gold, shall here take rust, | |
| Where simple love, which chasteness doth impart, | |
| Avoids thy hurtful art, | |
| Not needing charming skill | 60 |
| Such minds with sweet affections for to fill: | |
| Which being pure and plain, | |
| O Hymen! long their coupled joys maintain! | |
| |
| All churlish words, shrewd answers, crabbèd looks, | |
| All privateness, self-seeking, inward spite, | 65 |
| All waywardness which nothing kindly brooks, | |
| All strife for toys and claiming master’s right,— | |
| Be hence aye put to flight; | |
| All stirring husband’s hate | |
| ’Gainst neighbours good for womanish debate | 70 |
| Be fled, as things most vain! | |
| O Hymen! long their coupled joys maintain! | |
| |
| But above all, away vile jealousy, | |
| The evil of evils, just cause to be unjust! | |
| How can he love, suspecting treachery? | 75 |
| How can she love, where love cannot win trust? | |
| Go, snake! hide thee in dust; | |
| Nor dare once show thy face | |
| Where open hearts do hold so constant place | |
| That they thy sting restrain! | 80 |
| O Hymen! long their coupled joys maintain! | |
| |
| The Earth is decked with flowers the Heavens displayed; | |
| Muses grant gifts, Nymphs long and joinèd life; | |
| Pan, store of babes, virtue their thoughts well stayed; | |
| Cupid’s lust gone, and gone is bitter strife. | 85 |
| Happy man! happy wife! | |
| No pride shall them oppress, | |
| Nor yet shall yield to loathsome sluttishness; | |
| And jealousy is slain, | |
| For Hymen will their coupled joys maintain! | 90 |
