John Donne (15721631). The Poems of John Donne. 1896. | | Songs and Sonnets | The Bait |
| COME live with me, and be my love, | |
And we will some new pleasures prove | |
Of golden sands, and crystal brooks, | |
With silken lines and silver hooks. | |
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There will the river whispring run | 5 |
Warmd by thy 1 eyes, more than the sun; | |
And there th enamourd 2 fish will stay, 3 | |
Begging themselves they may betray. | |
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When thou wilt swim in that live bath, | |
Each fish, which every channel hath, | 10 |
Will amorously to thee swim, 4 | |
Gladder to catch thee, than thou him. | |
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If thou, to be so seen, best loth, | |
By sun or moon, thou darknest both, | |
And if myself 5 have leave to see, | 15 |
I need not their light, having thee. | |
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Let others freeze with angling reeds, | |
And cut their legs with shells 6 and weeds, | |
Or treacherously poor fish beset, | |
With strangling 7 snare, 8 or windowy net. | 20 |
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Let coarse bold hands from slimy nest | |
The bedded fish in banks out-wrest; | |
Or 9 curious traitors, sleeve-silk 10 flies, | |
Bewitch poor fishes wandring eyes. 11 | |
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For thee, thou needst no such deceit, | 25 |
For thou thyself art thine own bait: | |
That fish, that is not catchd thereby, | |
Alas! is wiser far 12 than I. | |
| Note 1. l. 6. 1669, thine [back] | Note 2. l. 7. Walton, enamelled [back] | Note 3. l. 7. 1669, play [back] | Note 4. l. 11. Walton. Most amorously to thee will swim [back] | Note 5. l. 15. Walton, mine eyes [back] | Note 6. l. 18. So 1635, Walton; 1633, which shells [back] | Note 7. l. 20. 1669, winding [back] | Note 8. l. 20. Walton, snares [back] | Note 9. l. 23. Walton, Let [back] | Note 10. l. 23. So 1635; 1633, sleeve sick [back] | Note 11. l. 24. Walton, To witch poor wandring fishes eyes [back] | Note 12. l. 28. Walton, Is wiser far, alas [back] | |
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