Tasso, Torquato / Reynolds, Henry · published 1628 · first performed or written 1628 (Annals) pastoral T21 Cupid, Venus and the nymphs typicality 0.82 · 482 words
Marked words are the most distinguishing words of T21: cupid, venus, love, ceres, diana, fair, nymphs, goddess, bow, damon.
Fear not, I will not speak Ought from thy lips what ere they open to me. But gentle Daphne, for the dear day's sake Of thy past youth, help me to help Aminte Poor wretch that dies. Ah what a propper style Of conjuration (fool) hast thou devised To move me with; bringing my youth to mind, The pleasure I have lost, and pain I find. But what wouldst have me do? thou'rt not to seek of wit, nor yet of power, Do but dispose thy will, I'll ask no more. Well then, I'll tell thee: we are going now Silvia and I together all alone Unto Diana's fount, to wash ourselves; There where the planetree with his safer shade Ore-spreds the cool stream, and is wont t'invite The weary huntresses to rest, and cool them: There she'll uncase her so-beloved limbs. And what of that? What of that? silly thou'rt Or else thou wouldst not ask me what of that. Suppose I hit thy meaning, who knows yet If he will dare to meet her there or no? No? Why then truly let him stay till she Come to woee him; and when will that be trow ye? Do she or not, he does deserve she did. But now let's leave this theme; and talk a word Or two of thee; say Thirsis, wilt not thou Resolve at last to be a lover too? thou'rt not yet old; few more than thirty years Have ouer-slipt thee, and I well remember Thy infancy; wilt thou live joyless still? For only he lovers is the happy life. The joys of Venus he enjoys as well, That shunning lovers painful miseries, Tastes of the sweet, and lets the sour alone. O but that sweet grows dull, and gluts betime, That is not seas'ned with a little sour. Better 'tis to be glutted (of the two) Then pine before one feeds, and after two. But if the food be pleasing, and possessed, 'Tis good before; and in the tasting best. No man can so possess what he desires, As just t'enjoy it then when's hunger craves it. Who hopes to find, that never means to seek? 'Tis dangerous to seek that which once found, Pleases a little, but not found, torments Much more; no, no, I'll go no more a wooing; Cupid shall triumph over me no more; I know a little what those sufferings be, Let others prove them if they list for me. Belike thoust not enjoyed loves pleasure yet: Nor do I wish to buy the plague so dear. You may perhaps be forced against your will; Who keeps himself far off, cannot be forced. Who can be far from love? Who fears & flies. But what avails to fly from him hath wings? Love but new borne, hath wings but short & small, And hardly strong enough to fly with all.
nodes 866–926 (positions in the processed text, not lines of the printed book) · chunk 15 of 33 in this edition
Length
482 words · 636 tokens
Topic (seed 42)
T21 — Cupid, Venus and the nymphscross-work theme (confirmed, in the genre comparison) · typicality 0.822 (cosine to the topic centroid)
Other seeds
seed 43: unassigned · seed 44: T24 — topic numbers are assigned independently in each run; equal or different numbers say nothing by themselves
Original spelling (EEBO-TCP, unregularized)
Feare not, I will not ſpeake Ought from thy lips what ere they ope to me. But gentle Daphne, for the deare dayes ſake Of thy paſt youth, helpe me to helpe Aminte Poore wretch that dyes. Ah what a propper ſtile Of coniuration (foole) haſt thou deuiz'd To mooue me with; bringing my youth to minde, The pleaſure I haue loſt, and paine I finde. But what would'ſt haue me doe? Th'art not to ſeeke of wit, nor yet of powre, Do but diſpoſe thy will, I'le aske no more. Well then, I'le tell thee: wee ar going now Siluia and I together all alone Vnto Diana's fount, to waſh our ſelues; There where the planetree with his ſafer ſhade Ore-ſpreds the coole ſtreame, and is wont t'inuite The weary huntreſſes to reſt, and coole them: There ſhee'll vncaſe her ſo-beloued limbs. And what of that? What of that? ſilly th'art Or elſe thou would'ſt not aske me what of that. Suppoſe I hit thy meaning, who knowes yet If he will dare to meete her there or no? No? Why then truely let him ſtay till ſhee Come to woee him; and when will that be trow yee? Do ſhee or not, he does deſerue ſhee did. But now let's leaue this theame; and talk a word Or two of thee; ſay Thirſis, wilt not thou Reſolue at laſt to be a louer too? Th'art not yet olde; fewe more then thirty yeeres Haue ouer-ſlipt thee, and I well remember Thy infancie; wilt thou liue ioyleſſe ſtill? For only 'a louers is the happy life. The ioyes of Venus he inioyes as well, That ſhunning louers painfull miſeries, Taſtes of the ſweet, and lets the ſowre alone. O but that ſweet growes dull, and gluts betime, That is not ſeas'ned with a little ſowre. Better 'tis to be glutted (of the two) Then pine before one feedes, and after two. But if the foode be pleaſing, and poſſeſt, 'Tis good before; and in the taſting beſt. No man can ſo poſſeſſe what he deſires, As iuſt t'inioy it then when's hunger craues it. Who hopes to finde, that neuer meanes to ſeeke? 'Tis dangerous to ſeeke that which once found, Pleaſes a little, but not found, torments Much more; no, no, I'le go no more a wooing; Cupid ſhall triumph ouer me no more; I know a little what thoſe ſuffrings be, Let others prooue them if they liſt for me. Belike th'haſt not inioy'd loues pleaſure yet: Nor do I wiſh to buy the plague ſo deare. You may perhaps be forc'd againſt your will; Who keepes himſelfe farr off, cannot be forc'd. Who can be far frō loue? Who feares & flies. But what auayles to flye from him hath wings? Loue but new borne, hath wings but ſhort & ſmall, And hardly ſtrong enough to flye with all.