I cannot change, as others do,

Make proud and secure by such forces as these,You may now play the tyrant as soon as you please.When Innocence, Beauty, and Wit do conspireTo betray, and engage, and inflame my Desire,Why should I decline what I cannot avoid?And let pleasing Hope by base Fear be destroyed?Her innocence cannot contrive to undo me,Her beauty’s inclined,…

The sunshine of the Sun’s enlivening eye?Without thy light what light remains in me?Thou art my life; my way, my light’s in thee;I live, I move, and by thy beams I see.Thou art my life-if thou but turn awayMy life’s a thousand deaths. Thou art my way-Without.thee, Love, I travel not but stray.My light thou…

When life and light, with envious haste,Are torn and snatched away.But, oh! how slowly minutes roll.When absent from her eyesThat feed my love, which is my soul,It languishes and dies.For then no more a soul but shadeIt mournfully does moveAnd haunts my breast, by absence madeThe living tomb of love.You wiser men despise me not,Whose…

The straying fool ’twill plainly killTo wish all day, all night to mourn.Dear! from thine arms then let me fly,That my fantastic mind may proveThe torments it deserves to tryThat tears my fixed heart from my love.When, wearied with a world of woe,To thy safe bosom I retirewhere love and peace and truth does flow,May…

Of old age, narrow jealousy,Disease, and want of sense.Let duller fools on whom kind chanceSome easy heart has thrown,Despairing higher to advance,Be kind to one alone.Old men and weak, whose idle flame,Their own defects discovers,Since changing can but spread their shame,Ought to be constant lovers,But we, whose hearts do justly swellWith no vainglorious pride,Who know…

And ne’er press, whilst I live,For more than willingly I would give:Which should sufficient be to proveI’d understand the art of love.I hate the thing is called enjoyment:Besides it is a dull employment,It cuts off all that’s life and fireFrom that which may be termed desire;Just like the bee whose sting is goneConverts the owner…

Pray, did you not lately observe in the showA noble Italian called Signior Dildo?This signior was one of the Duchess’s trainAnd helped to conduct her over the main;But now she cries out, ‘To the Duke I will go,I have no more need for Signior Dildo.’At the Sign of the Cross in St James’s Street,When next…

The straying fool ’twill plainly killTo wish all day, all night to mourn.Dear! from thine arms then let me fly,That my fantastic mind may proveThe torments it deserves to tryThat tears my fixed heart from my love.When, wearied with a world of woe,To thy safe bosom I retirewhere love and peace and truth does flow,May…

Two rival fleets appearing from afar,Crawls to the top of an adjacent hill;From whence (with thoughts full of concern) he viewsThe wise and daring conduct of the fight,And each bold action to his mind renewsHis present glory, and his past delight;From his fierce eyes, flashes of rage he throws,As from black clouds when lightning breaks…

At five this morn, when Phoebus raised his headFrom Thetis’ lap, I raised myself from bed,And mounting steed, I trotted to the watersThe rendesvous of fools, buffoons, and praters,Cuckolds, whores, citizens, their wives and daughters.My squeamish stomach I with wine had bribedTo undertake the dose that was prescribed;But turning head, a sudden curséd viewThat innocent…

With studied mien and much grimace,Present yourself before your glass,To vanish and smooth o’er those graces,You rubb’d off in your Night Embraces.

The straying fool ’twill plainly killTo wish all day, all night to mourn.Dear, from thine arms then let me fly,That my fantastic mind may proveThe torments it deserves to try,That tear my fix’d heart from my love.When, wearied with a world of woe,To they safe bosom I retire,Where love, and peace, and truth does flow,May…

Like transitory dreams giv’n o’er,Whose images are kept in storeBy memory alone.The time that is to come is not;How can it then be mine?The present moment’s all my lot;And that, as fast as it is got,Phyllis, is only thine.Then talk not of inconstancy,False hearts, and broken vows;If I, by miracle, can beThis live-long minute true…

Long be it e’er thou grow old,Aching, shaking, crazy cold;But still continue as thou art,Ancient Person of my heart.On thy withered lips and dry,Which like barren furrows lie,Brooding kisses I will pour,Shall thy youthful heart restore,Such kind show’rs in autumn fall,And a second spring recall;Nor from thee will ever part,Ancient Person of my heart.Thy nobler…

When with love’s resistless art,And her eyes, she did enslave me;But her constancy’s so weak,She’s so wild and apt to wander,That my jealous heart would breakShould we live one day asunder.Melting joys about her move,Killing pleasures, wounding blisses;She can dress her eyes in love,And her lips can arm with kisses;Angels listen when she speaks,She’s my…

Pray, did you not lately observe in the showA noble Italian called Signior Dildo?This signior was one of the Duchess’s trainAnd helped to conduct her over the main;But now she cries out, ‘To the Duke I will go,I have no more need for Signior Dildo.’At the Sign of the Cross in St James’s Street,When next…

With sawcy Censurers, that faults are found,With what of late wee (in Poetique Rage)Bestowing, threw away on the dull Age;But (howsoe’re Envy, their Spleen may raise,To Robb my Brow, of the deserved Bays)Their thanks at least I merit since through me,They are Partakers of your Poetry;And this is all, I’ll say in my defence,T’obtaine one…

The straying fool ’twill plainly killTo wish all day, all night to mourn.Dear, from thine arms then let me fly,That my fantastic mind may proveThe torments it deserves to try,That tear my fix’d heart from my love.When, wearied with a world of woe,To they safe bosom I retire,Where love, and peace, and truth does flow,May…