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To George Anson Byron(?)
AND, dost thou ask the reason of my sadness? Well, I will tell it thee, unfeeling boy! 'Twas ill report that urged my brain to madness, 'Twas thy tongue's venom poisoned all my joy. The sadness w
Translation From the "Medea" of Euripides
When fierce conflicting passions urge The breast, where love is wont to glow, What mind can stem the stormy surge Which rolls the tide of human woe? The hope of praise, the dread of shame, Can rouse t
Translation From Anacreon. Ode 3
'Twas now the hour when Night had driven Her car half round yon sable heaven; Boötes, only, seem'd to roll His Arctic charge around the Pole; While mortals, lost in gentle sleep, Forgot to smile, or c
Translation From Catullus. AD Lesbiam
Equal to Jove that youth must be-- _Greater_ than Jove he seems to me-- Who, free from Jealousy's alarms, Securely views thy matchless charms; That cheek, which ever dimpling glows, That mouth, from w
Sonnet. to Genevra
Thine eyes' blue tenderness, thy long fair hair, And the warm lustre of thy features--caught From contemplation--where serenely wrought, Seems Sorrow's softness charmed from its despair-- Have thr
To What Serves Mortal Beauty?
To what serves mortal beauty '—dangerous; does set danc- ing blood—the O-seal-that-so ' feature, flung prouder form Than Purcell tune lets tread to? ' See: it does this: keeps warm Men's wits to the t
Farewell Petition to J.C.H., Esq^Re^
O THOU yclep'd by vulgar sons of Men Cam Hobhouse! but by wags Byzantian Ben! Twin sacred titles, which combined appear To grace thy volume's front, and gild its rear, Since now thou put'st thyself an
A Spirit Passed Before Me. From Job
A spirit passed before me: I beheld The face of Immortality unveiled-- Deep Sleep came down on every eye save mine-- And there it stood,--all formless--but divine: Along my bones the creeping flesh di
Farewell! If Ever Fondest Prayer
Farewell! if ever fondest prayer For other's weal availed on high, Mine will not all be lost in air, But waft thy name beyond the sky. 'Twere vain to speak--to weep--to sigh: Oh! more than tears
Sonnet 26: Lord of my love, to whom in vassalage
Lord of my love, to whom in vassalage Thy merit hath my duty strongly knit, To thee I send this written embassage, To witness duty, not to show my wit: Duty so great, which wit so poor as mine May mak
Sonnet 21: So is it not with me as with that Muse
So is it not with me as with that Muse, Stirr'd by a painted beauty to his verse, Who heaven itself for ornament doth use And every fair with his fair doth rehearse, Making a couplement of proud compa
Sonnet 34: Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day
Why didst thou promise such a beauteous day, And make me travel forth without my cloak, To let base clouds o'ertake me in my way, Hiding thy bravery in their rotten smoke? 'Tis not enough that through
Sonnet 41: Those pretty wrongs that liberty commits
Those pretty wrongs that liberty commits, When I am sometime absent from thy heart, Thy beauty, and thy years full well befits, For still temptation follows where thou art. Gentle thou art, and theref
Sonnet 45: The other two, slight air, and purging fire
The other two, slight air, and purging fire Are both with thee, wherever I abide; The first my thought, the other my desire, These present-absent with swift motion slide. For when these quicker elemen
Sonnet 57: Being your slave what should I do but tend
Being your slave what should I do but tend, Upon the hours, and times of your desire? I have no precious time at all to spend; Nor services to do, till you require. Nor dare I chide the world-without-
Sonnet 60: Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore
Like as the waves make towards the pebbled shore, So do our minutes hasten to their end; Each changing place with that which goes before, In sequent toil all forwards do contend. Nativity, once in the
Sonnet 90: Then hate me when thou wilt; if ever, now
Then hate me when thou wilt; if ever, now; Now, while the world is bent my deeds to cross, Join with the spite of fortune, make me bow, And do not drop in for an after-loss: Ah! do not, when my heart
Sonnet 118: Like as, to make our appetite more keen
Like as, to make our appetite more keen, With eager compounds we our palate urge; As, to prevent our maladies unseen, We sicken to shun sickness when we purge; Even so, being full of your ne'er-cloyin
Sonnet 97: How like a winter hath my absence been
How like a winter hath my absence been From thee, the pleasure of the fleeting year! What freezings have I felt, what dark days seen! What old December's bareness everywhere! And yet this time removed
Sonnet 44: If the dull substance of my flesh were thought
If the dull substance of my flesh were thought, Injurious distance should not stop my way; For then despite of space I would be brought, From limits far remote, where thou dost stay. No matter then al
Sonnet 47: Betwixt mine eye and heart a league is took
Betwixt mine eye and heart a league is took, And each doth good turns now unto the other: When that mine eye is famish'd for a look, Or heart in love with sighs himself doth smother, With my love's pi
Sonnet 54: O! how much more doth beauty beauteous seem
O! how much more doth beauty beauteous seem By that sweet ornament which truth doth give. The rose looks fair, but fairer we it deem For that sweet odour, which doth in it live. The canker blooms have
Sonnet 19: Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion's paws
Devouring Time, blunt thou the lion's paws, And make the earth devour her own sweet brood; Pluck the keen teeth from the fierce tiger's jaws, And burn the long-liv'd phoenix, in her blood; Make glad a
Sonnet 28: How can I then return in happy plight
How can I then return in happy plight, That am debarre'd the benefit of rest? When day's oppression is not eas'd by night, But day by night and night by day oppress'd, And each, though enemies to eith