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


¶Looke how a bird lyes tangled in a net,
¶So fa
stned in her armes Adonis lyes,
¶Pure
shame and aw'd re
si
stance made him fret,
70VVhich bred more beautie in his angrie eyes:
¶_Raine added to a riuer that is ranke,
¶_Perforce will force it ouerflow the banke.
¶Still
she intreats, and prettily intreats,
¶For to a prettie eare
she tunes her tale.
75Still is he
sullein,
still he lowres and frets,
¶Twixt crim
son
shame, and anger a
shie pale,
¶_Being red
she loues him be
st, and being white,
¶_Her be
st is betterd with a more delight.
¶Looke how he can,
she cannot chu
se but loue,
80And by her faire immortall hand
she
sweares,
¶From his
soft bo
some neuer to remoue,
¶Till he take truce with her contending teares,
¶_VVhich lōg haue raind, making her cheeks al wet,
¶_And one
sweet ki
sse
shal pay this comptle
sse debt.
85Vpon this promi
se did he rai
se his chin,
¶Like a diuedapper peering through a waue,
¶VVho being lookt on, ducks as quickly in:
¶So offers he to giue what
she did craue,
¶_But when her lips were readie for his pay,
90_He winks, and turnes his lips another way.
¶Neuer did pa
ssenger in
sommers heat,
¶More thir
st for drinke, then
she for this good turne,
¶Her helpe
she
sees, but helpe
she cannot get,
¶She bathes in water, yet her fire mu
st burne:
95_Oh pitie gan
she crie, flint-heartedboy,
¶_Tis but a ki
sse I begge, why art thou coy?

