VAIN Hart, why wouldst Thou try The Bag of every Bee that buzzeth by? With any didst Thou ever meet Amidst whose Honey was not sett A Sting to warn thy Hand The Danger of Delight to understand. Nay, leave thy preaching: I Believe that Pleasure Lawfull is, which thy Fond Tooth, desires to taste. But since The Lawfulness is thy pretence, Come, I will let Thee loose To Lawful things, where Thou mayst noblier choose. First, know, 'tis Lawful to Abstein from that Thou pantest after so. 'Tis Lawful quite to quench the fire Of any secular desire: 'Tis Lawful to refuse What Law itself alloweth Thee to use. 'Tis Lawful to deny Whate'r doth feuel to thy Flame supply. 'Tis Lawful to maintain a Warr Against thy Selfe, and not to spare That Body, which unless Thou mortifie'st it, will thy Life suppress. To Weep, to Fast, to Pray; To walk the hardy and heroik Way Of Saints and Martyrs, whoe in fear Of nothing more than Pleasures were; To bowe thy venturous back And any Cross on Thy brave Shoulders take; By his dear Blood to trace The gallant Footstepps of thy Lord; to Place Thy Self above thy Self, and live In Life's own Fount, whilst Thou dost give All Thy Desires to His Incomparable Will in Sacrifice. All these are Lawful; and Much more then so. -- Why dost Thou trembling stand? That Tremor shakes from off Thy face The Mask in which it sheltered was; And makes thee now confess Thou fearest thine own weapon, LAWFULNESS. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE DEAD PAN by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING MODERN LOVE: 17 by GEORGE MEREDITH WHY DON'T THE MEN PROPOSE? by THOMAS HAYNES BAYLY THE ARTIST PHILOSOPHER by DAISY MAUD BELLIS EPIGRAM ON A ROPE-MAKER HANGED by WILLIAM BROWNE (1591-1643) THE PHILOSOPHIC FLIGHT by GIORDANO BRUNO |