THOU great Commandress, that dost move Thy sceptre o'er the crown of Love, And through his empire, with the awe Of thy chaste beams, dost give the law; From his profaner altars we Turn to adore thy deity: He only can wild lust provoke, Thou those impurer flames canst choke; And where he scatters looser fires, Thou turn'st them into chaste desires. His kingdom knows no rule but this: @3Whatever pleaseth lawful is;@1 Thy sacred lore shows us the path Of modesty and constant faith, Which makes the rude male satisfi'd With one fair female by his side; Doth either sex to each unite, And form Love's pure hermaphrodite. To this thy faith, behold the wild Satyr already reconcil'd, Who from the influence of thine eye Hath suck'd the deep divinity. O free them then, that they may teach The centaur and the horse-man preach To beasts and birds, sweetly to rest Each in his proper lair and nest; They shall convey it to the flood, Till there thy law be understood: So shalt thou with thy pregnant fire The water, earth, and air inspire. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...W'EN I GITS HOME by PAUL LAURENCE DUNBAR SATIRES OF CIRCUMSTANCE: 1. AT TEA by THOMAS HARDY A SHROPSHIRE LAD: 35 by ALFRED EDWARD HOUSMAN CLEAR WEATHER by EDMUND CHARLES BLUNDEN THE EARTH AND MAN by STOPFORD AUGUSTUS BROOKE SONNETS FROM THE PORTUGUESE: 40 by ELIZABETH BARRETT BROWNING EPILOGUE TO A PLAY BEFORE THE KING AND QUEEN ... AT WHITEHALL by THOMAS CAREW |