William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Restoration Verse. 1910.
Song: ‘Ye happy swains whose hearts are free’Sir George Etherege (1635?–1691)
Y
From Love’s imperial chain,
Take warning and be taught by me
T’ avoid th’ enchanting pain;
Fatal the wolves to trembling flocks,
Fierce winds to blossoms prove,
To careless seamen, hidden rocks,
To human quiet, love.
The snake’s beneath the flower:
Whoever gazed on beauteous eyes,
That tasted quiet more?
How faithless is the lovers’ joy!
How constant is their care
The kind with falsehood to destroy,
The cruel, with despair!