venus and adonis-第3部分
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The iron bit he crusheth 'tween his teeth;
Controlling what he was controlled with。
His ears up…pricked; his braided hanging mane
Upon his compassed crest now stand on end;
His nostrils drink the air; and forth again;
As from a furnace; vapours doth he send;
His eye; which scornfully glisters like fire;
Shows his hot courage and his high desire。
Sometime he trots; as if he told the steps;
With gentle majesty and modest pride;
Anon he rears upright; curvets and leaps;
As who should say 'Lo; thus my strength is tried;
And this I do to captivate the eye
Of the fair breeder that is standing by。'
What recketh he his rider's angry stir;
His flattering 'Holla' or his 'Stand; I say?'
What cares he now for curb or pricking spur?
For rich caparisons or trappings gay?
He sees his love; and nothing else he sees;
For nothing else with his proud sight agrees。
Look when a painter would surpass the life
In limning out a well…proportioned steed;
His art with nature's workmanship at strife;
As if the dead the living should exceed;
So did this horse excel a common one
In shape; in courage; colour; pace and bone。
Round…hoofed; short…jointed; fetlocks shag and long;
Broad breast; full eye; small head and nostril wide;
High crest; short ears; straight legs and passing strong;
Thin mane; thick tail; broad buttock; tender hide;
Look what a horse should have he did not lack;
Save a proud rider on so proud a back。
Sometime he scuds far off; and there he stares;
Anon he starts at stirring of a feather;
To bid the wind a base he now prepares;
And whe'er he run or fly they know not whether;
For through his mane and tail the high wind sings;
Fanning the hairs; who wave like feath'red wings。
He looks upon his love and neighs unto her;
She answers him as if she knew his mind;
Being proud; as females are; to see him woo her;
She puts on outward strangeness; seems unkind;
Spurns at his love and scorns the heat he feels;
Beating his kind embracements with her heels。
Then; like a melancholy malcontent;
He vails his tail; that; like a falling plume;
Cool shadow to his melting buttock lent;
He stamps; and bites the poor flies in his fume。
His love; perceiving how he was enraged;
Grew kinder; and his fury was assuaged。
His testy master goeth about to take him;
When; lo; the unbacked breeder; full of fear;
Jealous of catching; swiftly doth forsake him;
With her the horse; and left Adonis there。
As they were mad; unto the wood they hie them;
Out…stripping crows that strive to over…fly them。
All swoln with chafing; down Adonis sits;
Banning his boist'rous and unruly beast;
And now the happy season once more fits
That love…sick Love by pleading may be blest;
For lovers say the heart hath treble wrong
When it is barred the aidance of the tongue。
An oven that is stopped; or river stayed;
Burneth more hotly; swelleth with more rage;
So of concealed sorrow may be said;
Free vent of words love's fire doth assuage;
But when the heart's attorney once is mute;
The client breaks; as desperate in his suit。
He sees her coming; and begins to glow;
Even as a dying coal revives with wind;
And with his bonnet hides his angry brow;
Looks on the dull earth with disturbed mind;
Taking no notice that she is so nigh;
For all askance he holds her in his eye。
O; what a sight it was; wistly to view
How she came stealing to the wayward boy!
To note the fighting conflict of her hue;
How white and red each other did destroy!
But now her cheek was pale; and by and by
It flashed forth fire; as lightning from the sky。
Now was she just before him as he sat;
And like a lowly lover down she kneels;
With one fair hand she heaveth up his hat;
Her other tender hand his fair cheek feels;
His tend'rer cheek receives her soft hand's print
As apt as new…fall'n snow takes any dint。
O; what a war of looks was then between them;
Her eyes petitioners to his eyes suing!
His eyes saw her eyes as they had not seen them;
Her eyes wooed still; his eyes disdained the wooing;
And all this dumb play had his acts made plain
With tears which chorus…like her eyes did rain。
Full gently now she takes him by the hand;
A lily prisoned in a gaol of snow;
Or ivory in an alabaster band;
So white a friend engirts so white a foe:
This beauteous combat; wilful and unwilling;
Showed like two silver doves that sit a…billing。
Once more the engine of her thoughts began:
'O fairest mover on this mortal round;
Would thou wert as I am; and I a man;
My heart all whole as thine; thy heart my wound;
For one sweet look thy help I would assure thee;
Though nothing but my body's bane would cure thee。'
'Give me my hand;' saith he; 'why dost thou feel it?'
'Give me my heart;' saith she; 'and thou shalt have it;
O; give it me; lest thy hard heart do steel it;
And being steeled; soft sighs can never grave it;
Then love's deep groans I never shall regard;
Because Adonis' heart hath made mine hard。'
'For shame;' he cries; 'let go; and let me go;
My day's delight is past; my horse is gone;
And 'tis your fault I am bereft him so。
I pray you hence; and leave me here alone;
For all my mind; my thought; my busy care;
Is how to get my palfrey from the mare。'
'O; where am I?' quoth she; 'in earth or heaven;
Or in the ocean drenched; or in the fire?
What hour is this? or morn or weary even?
Do I delight to die; or life desire?
But now I lived; and life was death's annoy;
But now I died; and death was lively joy。
'O; thou didst kill me: kill me once again。
Thy eyes' shrewd tutor; that hard heart of thine;
Hath taught them scornful tricks; and such disdain
That they have murd'red this poor heart of mine;
And these mine eyes; true leaders to their queen;
But for thy piteous lips no more had seen。
'Long may they kiss each other; for this cure!
O; never let their crimson liveries wear!
And as they last; their verdure still endure
To drive infection from the dangerous year!
That the star…gazers; having writ on death;
May say; the plague is banished by thy breath。
'Pure lips; sweet seals in my soft lips imprinted;
What bargains may I make; still to be sealing?
To sell myself I can be well contented;
So thou wilt buy; and pay; and use good dealing;
Which purchase if thou make; for fear of slips
Set thy seal manual on my wax…red lips。
'A thousand kisses buys my heart from me;
And pay them at thy leisure; one by one。
What is ten hundred touches unto thee?
Are they not quickly told and quickly gone?
Say for non…payment that the debt should double;
Is twenty hundred kisses such a trouble?'
'Fair queen;' quoth he; 'if any love you owe me;
Measure my strangeness with my unripe years;
Before I know myself; seek not to know me;
No fisher but the ungrown fry forbears。
The mellow plum doth fall; the green sticks fast;
Or being early plucked is sour to taste。
'Look; the world's comforter; with weary gait;
His day's hot task hath ended in the west;
The owl; night's herald; shrieks 'tis very late;
The sheep are gone to fold; birds to their nest;
And coal…black clouds that shadow heaven's light
Do summon us to part; and bid good night。
'Now let me say 〃Good night〃; and so say you;
If you will say so; you shall have a kiss。'
'Good night'; quoth she; and; ere he says 'Adieu';
The honey fee of parting tend'red is:
Her arms do lend his neck a sweet embrace;
Incorporate then they seem; face grows to face。
Till breathless he disjoined; and backward drew
The heavenly moisture; that sweet coral mouth;
Whose precious taste her thirsty lips well knew;
Whereon they surfeit; yet complain on drouth。
He with her plenty pressed; she faint with dearth;
Their lips together glued; fall to the earth。
Now quick desire hath caught the yielding prey;
And glutton…like she feeds; yet never filleth;
Her lips are conquerors; his lips obey;
Paying what ransom the insulter willeth;
Whose vulture thought doth pitch the price so high
That she will draw his lips' rich treasure dry。
And having felt the sweetness of the spoil;
With blindfold fury she begins to forage;
Her face doth reek and smoke; her blood doth boil;
And careless lust stirs up a desperate courage。
Planting oblivion; beating reason back;
Forgetting shame's pure blush and honour's wrack。
Hot; faint and weary; with her; hard embracing;
Like a wild bird being tamed with too much handling;
Or as the fleet…foot roe that's tired with chasing;
Or like the froward infant stilled with dandling;
He now obeys and now no more resisteth;
While she takes all she can; not all she listeth。
What wax so frozen but dissolves with temp'ring;
And yields at last to every light impression?
Things out of hope are compass'd oft with vent'ring;
Chiefly in love; whose leave exceeds commission:
Affection faints not like a pale…face coward;
But then woos best when most his choice is froward。
When he did frown; O; had she then gave over;
Such nectar from his lips she had not sucked。
Foul words and frowns must not repel a lover;
What though the rose have prickles; yet 'tis plucked。
Were beauty under twenty locks kept fast;
Yet love breaks through; and picks them all at last。
For pity now she can no more detain him;
The poor fool prays