| Seccombe and Arber, comps. Elizabethan Sonnets. 1904. | | | | Sonnets and Poetical Translations | | IX. Thou Pain! the only guest of loathed Constraint | | Sir Philip Sidney (1554–1586) |
| | | THOU PAIN! the only guest of loathed CONSTRAINT, | |
| The child of CURSE, MAN’S WEAKNESS’ foster-child, | |
| Brother to WOE, and father of COMPLAINT: | |
| Thou PAIN! thou hated PAIN! from heaven exiled. | |
| How hold’st thou her, whose eyes constraint doth fear? | 5 |
| Whom curst, do bless; whose weakness, virtues arm; | |
| Who, other’s woes and plaints can chastely bear; | |
| In whose sweet heaven, angels of high thoughts, swarm. | |
| What courage strange, hath caught thy caitiff heart? | |
| Fear’st not a face that oft whole hearts devours? | 10 |
| Or art thou from above bid play this part, | |
| And so no help ’gainst envy of those powers? | |
| If thus, alas, yet while those parts have woe, | |
| So stay her tongue, that she no more say, “No!” | | | | |
|
|
