Venus and Adonis (Quarto 1, 1592-3)
Author: William ShakespeareEditor: Hardy M. CookPeer Reviewed


¶By this poore wat farre off vpon a hill,
¶Stands on his hinder-legs with li
stning eare,
¶To hearken if his foes pur
sue him
still,
700Anon their loud alarums he doth heare,
¶_And now his griefe may be compared well,
¶_To one
sore
sicke, that heares the pa
ssing bell.
¶Then
shalt thou
see the deaw-bedabbled wretch,
¶Turne, and returne, indenting with the way,
705Ech enuious brier, his wearie legs do
scratch,
¶Ech
shadow makes him
stop, ech murmour
stay,
¶_For mi
serie is troden on by manie,
¶_And being low, neuer releeu'd by anie.
¶Lye quietly, and heare a litle more,
710Nay do not
struggle, for thou
shalt not ri
se,
¶To make thee hate the hunting of the bore,
¶Vnlike my
selfe thou hear'
st me moralize,
¶_Applying this to that, and
so to
so,
¶_For loue can comment vpon euerie wo.
715VVhere did I leaue? no matter where (quoth he)
¶Leaue me, and then the
storie aptly ends,
¶The night is
spent; why what of that (quoth
she?)
¶I am (quoth he) expected of my friends,
¶_And now tis darke, and going I
shall fall.
720_In night (quoth
she) de
sire
sees be
st of all.
¶But if thou fall, oh then imagine this,
¶The earth in loue with thee, thy footing trips,
¶And all is but to rob thee of a kis,
¶Rich prayes make true-men theeues:
so do thy lips
725_Make mode
st Dyan, cloudie and forlorne,
¶_Le
st
she
should
steale a ki
sse and die for
sworne.

