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love
And truth
pretty pleasures
To live with
Time flocks
When rivers rage
And dumb;
complains
flowers fade,
reckoning yields:
a heart of gall,
sorrow’s fall.
beds of roses,
posies,
soon forgotten,
in reason rotten.
belt
clasps and amber studs,–
can move
to thee thy Love.
youth
Had joys
delights my mind
To live with thee
Original text:
Her Reply by Sir Walter Raleigh
If all the world and love were young,
And truth in every shepherd’s tongue,
These pretty pleasures might me move
To live with thee and be thy Love.
But Time drives flocks from field to fold;
When rivers rage and rocks grow cold;
And Philomel becometh dumb;
The rest complains of cares to come.
The flowers do fade, and wanton fields
To wayward Winter reckoning yields:
A honey tongue, a heart of gall,
Is fancy’s spring, but sorrow’s fall.
Thy gowns, thy shoes, thy beds of roses,
Thy cap, thy kirtle, and thy posies,
Soon break, soon wither–soon forgotten,
In folly ripe, in reason rotten.
Thy belt of straw and ivy-buds,
Thy coral clasps and amber studs,–
All these in me no means can move
To come to thee and be thy Love.
But could youth last, and love still breed,
Had joys no date, nor age no need,
Then these delights my mind might move
To live with thee and be thy Love.
Written for: https://blackcatalleyblog.wordpress.com/2017/03/08/whiteout-wednesdays-6/
Another wonderful piece Michael – truly 😀
I’m sitting reading this and re-reading and thinking on the original and how you’ve de-selected and re-selected to create something so fresh and new – and quite different!
Almost endless possibilities ….. and wonderful play time …. and I’m fascinated by the stanza where you’ve played with “belt” – because it’s intriguing …. and I’m still playing with this piece myself … so this is great fun – a modern day love poem in its own way 🙂
thanks for playing along again Michael 🙂 have a wonderful rest of your week 🙂
I like the rhyming which keeps the olden days feel to your modern poem.
Thank you but purely accidental I think…lol
Well placed accidents, then.