Читать книгу Poetical Works of Edmund Waller and Sir John Denham - Edmund Waller - Страница 23

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As in old chaos (heaven with earth confused,

And stars with rocks together crush'd and bruised)

The sun his light no further could extend

Than the next hill, which on his shoulders lean'd;

So in this throng bright Saccharissa fared,

Oppress'd by those who strove to be her guard;

As ships, though never so obsequious, fall

Foul in a tempest on their admiral.

A greater favour this disorder brought

Unto her servants than their awful thought 10

Durst entertain, when thus compell'd they press'd

The yielding marble of her snowy breast.

While love insults,[1] disguised in the cloud,

And welcome force, of that unruly crowd.

So th'am'rous tree, while yet the air is calm,

Just distance keeps from his desired palm;[2]

But when the wind her ravish'd branches throws

Into his arms, and mingles all their boughs,

Though loth he seems her tender leaves to press, 19

More loth he is that friendly storm should cease,

From whose rude bounty he the double use

At once receives, of pleasure and excuse.

[1] 'Insults': exults.

[2] 'Palm': Ovalle informs us that the palm-trees in Chili have this

wonderful property, that they never will bear any fruit but when

they are planted near each other; and when they find one standing

barren by itself, if they plant another, be it never so small (which

they call the female), it will become prolific.—FENTON.