Thomas Humphry Ward, ed. The English Poets. 1880–1918.rnVol. II. The Seventeenth Century: Ben Jonson to Dryden
Robert Herrick (1591–1674)To the Duke of York
M
Like to a rose of Jericho,
Sweeter far than ever yet
Showers or sunshine could beget;
May the Graces and the Hours
Strew his hopes and him with flowers
And so dress him up with love
As to be the chick of Jove;
May the thrice three Sisters sing
Him the sovereign of their spring,
And entitle none to be
Prince of Helicon but he;
May his soft foot, where it treads,
Gardens thence produce and meads,
And those meadows full be set
With the rose and violet;
May his ample name be known
To the last succession,
And his actions high be told
Through the world, but writ in gold.