| Seccombe and Arber, comps. Elizabethan Sonnets. 1904. | | | | Astrophel and Stella | | LXXXVIII. Out! traitor Absence! Darest thou counsel me | | Sir Philip Sidney (1554–1586) |
| | | OUT! traitor ABSENCE! Darest thou counsel me | |
| From my dear Captainess to run away? | |
| Because, in brave array, here marcheth she | |
| That to win me, oft shows a present pay. | |
| Is faith so weak, or is such force in thee? | 5 |
| When sun is hid, can stars such beams display? | |
| Cannot heaven’s food, once felt, keep stomachs free | |
| From base desire, on earthly cates to prey? | |
| Tush! ABSENCE! while thy mists eclipse that light, | |
| My orphan sense flies to the inward sight; | 10 |
| Where memory sets forth the beams of love. | |
| That where before heart loved and eyes did see; | |
| In heart both sight and love both coupled be. | |
| United powers make each the stronger prove. | | | | |
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