Prince Jesus, Master of all, to thee
We pray Hell gain no mastery,

That we come never anear that place;
And ye men, make no mockery,

Pray God pardon us out of His grace.
HYMN TO THE WINDS.

DU BELLAY, 1550.
[The winds are invoked by the winnowers of corn.]

To you, troop so fleet,
That with wingedwandering feet,

Through the wide world pass,
And with soft murmuring

Toss the green shades of spring
In woods and grass,

Lily and violet
I give, and blossoms wet,

Roses and dew;
This branch of blushing roses,

Whose fresh bud uncloses,
Wind-flowers too.

Ah, winnow with sweet breath,
Winnow the holt and heath,

Round this retreat;
Where all the golden morn

We fan the gold o' the corn,
In the sun's heat.

A VOW TO HEAVENLY VENUS.
DU BELLAY, 1500

WE that with like hearts love, we lovers twain,
New wedded in the village by thy fane,

Lady of all chaste love, to thee it is
We bring these amaranths, these white lilies,

A sign, and sacrifice; may Love, we pray,
Like amaranthine flowers, feel no decay;

Like these cool lilies may our loves remain,
Perfect and pure, and know not any stain;

And be our hearts, from this thy holy hour,
Bound each to each, like flower to wedded flower.

TO HIS FRIEND IN ELYSIUM.
DU BELLAY, 1550.

SO long you wandered on the dusky plain,
Where flit the shadows with their endless cry,

You reach the shore where all the world goes by,
You leave the strife, the slavery, the pain;

But we, but we, the mortals that remain
In vain stretch hands; for Charon sullenly

Drives us afar, we may not come anigh
Till that last mystic obolus we gain.

But you are happy in the quiet place,
And with the learned lovers of old days,

And with your love, you wander ever-more
In the dim woods, and drink forgetfulness

Of us your friends, a weary crowd that press
About the gate, or labour at the oar.

A SONNET TO HEAVENLY BEAUTY.
DU BELLAY, 1550.

IF this our little life is but a day
In the Eternal, - if the years in vain

Toil after hours that never come again, -
If everything that hath been must decay,

Why dreamest thou of joys that pass away,
My soul, that my sad body doth restrain?

Why of the moment's pleasure art thou fain?
Nay, thou hast wings, - nay, seek another stay.

There is the joy whereto each soul aspires,
And there the rest that all the world desires,

And there is love, and peace, and gracious mirth;
And there in the most highest heavens shalt thou

Behold the Very Beauty, whereof now
Thou worshippest the shadow upon earth.

APRIL.
REMY BELLEAU, 1560.

APRIL, pride of woodland ways,
Of glad days,

April, bringing hope of prime,
To the young flowers that beneath

Their bud sheath
Are guarded in their tender time;

April, pride of fields that be
Green and free,

That in fashion glad and gay,
Stud with flowers red and blue,

Every hue,
Their jewelled spring array;

April, pride of murmuring
Winds of spring,

That beneath the winnowed air,
Trap with subtle nets and sweet

Flora's feet,
Flora's feet, the fleet and fair;

April, by thy hand caressed,
From her breast

Nature scatters everywhere
Handfuls of all sweet perfumes,

Buds and blooms,
Making faint the earth and air.

April, joy of the green hours,
Clothes with flowers

Over all her locks of gold
My sweet Lady; and her breast

With the blest
Birds of summer manifold.

April, with thy gracious wiles,
Like the smiles,

Smiles of Venus; and thy breath
Like her breath, the Gods' delight,

(From their height
They take the happy air beneath;)

It is thou that, of thy grace,
From their place

In the far-oft isles dost bring
Swallows over earth and sea,

Glad to be
Messengers of thee, and Spring.

Daffodil and eglantine,
And woodbine,

Lily, violet, and rose
Plentiful in April fair,

To the air,
Their pretty petals do unclose.

Nightingales ye now may hear,
Piercing clear,

Singing in the deepest shade;
Many and many a babbled note

Chime and float,
Woodland music through the glade.

April, all to welcome thee,
Spring sets free

Ancient flames, and with low breath
Wakes the ashes grey and old

That the cold
Chilled within our hearts to death.

Thou beholdest in the warm
Hours, the swarm

Of the thievish bees, that flies
Evermore from bloom to bloom

For perfume,
Hid away in tiny thighs.

Her cool shadows May can boast,
Fruits almost

Ripe, and gifts of fertile dew,
Manna-sweet and honey-sweet,

That complete
Her flower garland fresh and new.

Nay, but I will give my praise,
To these days,

Named with the glad name of Her (1)
That from out the foam o' the sea

Came to be
Sudden light on earth and air.

ROSES.
RONSARD, 1550.

I SEND you here a wreath of blossoms blown,
And woven flowers at sunset gathered,

Another dawn had seen them ruined, and shed
Loose leaves upon the grass at random strown.

By this, their sure example, be it known,
That all your beauties, now in perfect flower,

Shall fade as these, and wither in an hour,
Flowerlike, and brief of days, as the flower sown.

Ah, time is flying, lady - time is flying;
Nay, 'tis not time that flies but we that go,

Who in short space shall be in churchyard lying,
And of our loving parley none shall know,

Nor any man consider what we were;
Be therefore kind, my love, whiles thou art fair.

THE ROSE.
RONSARD, 1550.

SEE, Mignonne, hath not the Rose,
That this morning did unclose

Her purplemantle to the light,
Lost, before the day be dead,

The glory of her raiment red,
Her colour, bright as yours is bright?

Ah, Mignonne, in how few hours,
The petals of her purple flowers

All have faded, fallen, died;
Sad Nature, mother ruinous,

That seest thy fair child perish thus
'Twixt matin song and even tide.

Hear me, my darling, speaking sooth,
Gather the fleet flower of your youth,

Take ye your pleasure at the best;
Be merry ere your beauty flit,

For length of days will tarnish it
Like roses that were loveliest.

TO THE MOON.
RONSARD, 1550.

HIDE this one night thy crescent, kindly Moon;
So shall Endymion faithful prove, and rest

Loving and unawakened on thy breast;
So shall no foul enchanter importune

Thy quiet course; for now the night is boon,
And through the friendly night unseen I fare,

Who dread the face of foemen unaware,
And watch of hostile spies in the bright noon.

Thou knowest, Moon, the bitter power of Love;
'Tis told how shepherd Pan found ways to move,

For little price, thy heart; and of your grace,
Sweet stars, be kind to this not alien fire,

Because on earth ye did not scorn desire,

• prince [´prins] n.王子；亲王；君主 (初中英语单词)
• pardon [´pɑ:dən] n.&vt.原谅；饶恕；赦免 (初中英语单词)
• winged [´wiŋd] a.有翼的 (初中英语单词)
• slavery [´sleivəri] n.奴隶制；奴役 (初中英语单词)
• wander [´wɔndə, ´wɑ:n:dər] v.徘徊；流浪 (初中英语单词)
• eternal [i´tə:nəl] a.永远的；永恒的 (初中英语单词)
• gracious [´greiʃəs] a.和蔼可亲的；任慈的 (初中英语单词)
• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)
• violet [´vaiələt] n.&a.紫罗兰(的)；紫色 (初中英语单词)
• welcome [´welkəm] a.受欢迎的；可喜的 (初中英语单词)
• wreath [ri:θ] n.花圈；花环；圈状物 (初中英语单词)
• sunset [´sʌnset] n.日落；晚霞 (初中英语单词)
• therefore [´ðeəfɔ:] ad.&conj.因此；所以 (初中英语单词)
• purple [´pə:pl] n.紫色 a.紫(红)的 (初中英语单词)
• perish [´periʃ] v.灭亡；消灭；(使)死去 (初中英语单词)
• darling [´dɑ:liŋ] n.爱人 a.亲爱的 (初中英语单词)
• faithful [´feiθfəl] a.忠实的；可靠的 (初中英语单词)
• hostile [´hɔstail] a.敌方的，敌意的 (初中英语单词)
• shepherd [´ʃepəd] n.牧羊人 vt.带领 (初中英语单词)
• heavenly [´hevənli] a.天的，天空的 (高中英语单词)
• strife [straif] n.竞争；吵架；冲突 (高中英语单词)
• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)
• woodland [´wudlənd] n.树林，林地 (高中英语单词)
• fertile [´fə:tail] a.肥沃的；有繁殖力的 (高中英语单词)
• garland [´gɑ:lənd] n.花环 vt.给带花环 (高中英语单词)
• random [´rændəm] n.偶然的行动 (高中英语单词)
• wither [´wiðə] v.(使)枯萎(衰弱) (高中英语单词)
• loving [´lʌviŋ] a.爱的，有爱情的 (高中英语单词)
• mantle [´mæntl] n.斗蓬 v.覆盖；笼罩 (高中英语单词)
• unseen [,ʌn´si:n] a.未看见的 (高中英语单词)
• wedded [´wedid] a.(已)结婚的；献身的 (英语四级单词)
• chaste [tʃeist] a.贞洁的；高雅的 (英语四级单词)
• sonnet [´sɔnit] n.十四行诗 (英语四级单词)
• whereof [weər´ɔv] ad.关于什么；关于那事 (英语四级单词)
• churchyard [´tʃə:tʃjɑ:d] n.教堂院子 (英语四级单词)
• raiment [´reimənt] n.衣饰 (英语四级单词)
• crescent [´kresənt] n.月牙 a.新月形的 (英语四级单词)
• mystic [´mistik] a.神秘的；难以理解的 (英语六级单词)
• speaking [´spi:kiŋ] n.说话 a.发言的 (英语六级单词)