Love Poems

"Hide, Absolon, thy gilte tresses clear;
Esther, lay thou thy meekness all adown;
Hide, Jonathan, all thy friendly mannere,
Penelope, and Marcia Catoun,
Make of your wifehood no comparisoun;
Hide ye your beauties, Isoude and Helene;
My lady comes, that all this may distain.

"Thy faire body let it not appear,
Lavine; and thou, Lucrece of Rome town;
And Polyxene, that boughte love so dear,
And Cleopatra, with all thy passioun,
Hide ye your truth of love, and your renown;
And thou, Thisbe, that hadst of love such pain
My lady comes, that all this may distain.

"Hero, Dido, Laodamia, y-fere,
And Phyllis, hanging for Demophoon,
And Canace, espied by thy cheer,
Hypsipyle, betrayed by Jasoun,
Make of your truthe neither boast nor soun';
Nor Hypermnestr' nor Ariadne, ye twain;
My lady comes, that all this may distain."