Is it, O love, thy want of eyes,
Or by the Fates decreed,
That hearts so seldom sympathise,
Or for each other bleed?
If thou wouldst make two youthful hearts
One amorous shaft obey,
'Twould save thee the expense of darts,
And more extend thy sway.
Forbear, alas! thus to destroy
Thyself, thy growing power,
For that which would be stretch'd by joy
Despair will soon devour.
Ah! wound then my relentless fair,
For thy own sake and mine,
That boundless may be my share,
And double glory thine.
More verses by Matthew Prior
- Venus' Advice To The Muses
- Written In Montaignes Essays. Given To The Duke Of Shrewsbury In France, After The Peace
- Upon This Passage In Scaligeriana
- The Judgement Of Venus
- Songs Set To Music: 12. Set By Mr. Smith