dots-menu
×

Home  »  Poetica Erotica  »  A Song: “As Amoret and Thyrsis lay”

T. R. Smith, comp. Poetica Erotica: Rare and Curious Amatory Verse. 1921–22.

A Song: “As Amoret and Thyrsis lay”

By William Congreve (1670–1729)
 
(From The Old Bachelor, 1693)

AS Amoret and Thyrsis lay,
As Amoret and Thyrsis lay;
Melting, melting, melting, melting the Hours in gentle play,
Joining, joining, joining Faces, mingling Kisses,
Mingling kisses, mingling kisses, and exchanging harmless Blisses:        5
He trembling cry’d with eager, eager haste,
Let me, let me, let me feed, oh! oh! let me, let me,
Let me, let me feed, oh! oh! oh! oh! let me, let me, let me Feed as well as Taste,
I die, die, die, die, die, I die,
I die, if I’m not wholly Blest.        10
 
The fearful Nymph replied forbear,
I cannot, dare not, must not hear;
Dearest Thyrsis, do not move me,
Do not, do not, if you Love me;
Do not, do not, if you Love me;        15
O let me still, the Shepherd said,
But while she fond resistance made,
The hasty joy in struggling fled.
 
Vex’d at the Pleasure she had missed,
She frowned and blush’d, and sigh’d and kissed,        20
And seemed to moan, in Sullen Cooing,
The sad Miscarriage of their Wooing:
But vain alas! were all her Charms,
For Thyrsis deaf to Love’s alarms,
Baffled and senseless, tired her Arms.        25