T. R. Smith, comp. Poetica Erotica: Rare and Curious Amatory Verse. 1921–22.
The Description of a Woman
By Robert Herrick (1591–1674)(Rawlinson MS. 160 Poet. fols. 105–6) WHOSE head befringed with bescattered tresses | |
| Seems like Apollo’s when the morn he blesses | |
| Or like unto Aurora when she sets | |
| Her long dishevel’d rose-crown’d tramaletts: | |
| Her forehead smooth full polished bright and high | 5 |
| Bares in itself a graceful majesty. | |
| Under the which two crawling eyebrows twine | |
| Like to the tendrils of a flat’ring vine, | |
| Under whose shade two starry sparkling eyes | |
| Are beautifi’d with fair fring’d canopies. | 10 |
| Her comely nose with uniformal grace | |
| Like purest white stands in the middle place | |
| Parting the pair, as we may well suppose | |
| Each cheek resembling still a damask rose, | |
| Which like a garden manifestly show | 15 |
| How roses, lilies and carnations grow, | |
| Which sweetly mixed both with white and red | |
| Like rose leaves, white and red seem mingled. | |
| Then nature for a sweet allurement sets | |
| Two smelling swelling (bashful) cherrylets, | 20 |
| The which with ruby redness being tip’d. | |
| Do speak a virgin merry cherry-lip’d. | |
| Over the which a neat sweet skin is drawn | |
| Which makes them shew like roses under lawn. | |
| These be the Ruby portals and divine | 25 |
| Which ope themselves to shew an holy shrine | |
| Whose breath is rich perfume, that to the sense | |
| Smells like the burnt Sabæan frankincense | |
| In which the tongue, though but a member small, | |
| Stands guarded with rosy hilly wall, | 30 |
| And her white teeth which in the gums are set | |
| Like pearl and gold make one rich Cabinet | |
| Next doth her chin with dimpled beauty strive | |
| For his plump white and smooth prerogative, | |
| At whose fair top to please the sight there grows | 35 |
| The blessed Image of a blushing rose | |
| Mov’d by the chin whose motion causeth this | |
| That both her lips do part, do meet, do kiss; | |
| Her ears, which like two Labyrinths are plac’d | |
| On either side with rich rare Jewels grac’d, | 40 |
| Moving a question whether that by them | |
| The gem is grac’d? or they grac’d by the Gem? | |
| But the foundation of this Architect | |
| Is the swan-staining fair rare, stately neck | |
| Which with ambitious humbleness stands under | 45 |
| Bearing aloft this rich round world of wonder. | |
| In which the veins implanted seem to lie | |
| Like loving vines hid under Ivory, | |
| So full of claret that who so pricks a vine | |
| May see it sprout forth streams of muscadine. | 50 |
| Her breast (a place for beauty’s throne most fit) | |
| Bears up two globes where love and pleasure sit, | |
| Which headed with two rich round rubies show | |
| Like wanton rose buds growing out of snow, | |
| And in the milky valley that’s between | 55 |
| Sits Cupid kissing of his mother Queen, | |
| (Fing’ring) the paps that feel like sleeded silk | |
| And prest a little they will weep new milk. | |
| Then comes the belly seated next below | |
| Like a fair mountain in Riphean snow, | 60 |
| Where nature in a whiteness without spot | |
| Hath in the middle tied a Gordian knot | |
| Or else that she on that white waxen hill | |
| Hath seal’d the promise of her utmost skill. | |
| But now my muse hath spy’d a dark descent | 65 |
| From this so peerless precious permanent, | |
| A milky high way that direction yields | |
| Unto the port mouth of th’ Elysian fields, | |
| A place desir’d of all but got by these | |
| Whom love admits to this Hesperides. | 70 |
| Here’s golden fruit that far exceeds all price | |
| Growing in this love guarded paradise. | |
| Above the entrance there is written this | |
| This is the portal to the bower of bliss. | |
| Through mid’st thereof a crystal stream there flows | 75 |
| Passing the sweet sweet of a musky rose. | |
| Now love invites me to survey her thighs | |
| Swelling in likeness like two crystal skies | |
| With plump soft flesh of mettle pure and fine | |
| Resembling shields both smooth and crystalline. | 80 |
| Hence rise those two ambitious hills that look | |
| Into the middle (most) sight pleasing crook | |
| Which for the better beautifying shrouds | |
| Its humble self ’twixt two aspiring clouds, | |
| Which to the knees by nature fastened on | 85 |
| Derive their overwell grac’d motion. | |
| Her legs with two clear calves like silver tride | |
| Kindly swell up with little pretty pride, | |
| Leaving a distance for the beauteous small | |
| To beautify the leg and foot withal. | 90 |
| Then lowly yet most lovely stand the feet, | |
| Round short and clear, like pounded spices sweet | |
| And whatsoever thing they tread upon | |
| They make it scent like bruisèd Cinnamon. | |
| The lovely shoulders now allure the eye | 95 |
| To see two tablets of pure Ivory | |
| From which two arms like branches seem to spread | |
| With tender rind and silver coloured, | |
| With little hands and fingers long and small | |
| To grace a Lute, a vial, Virginal. | 100 |
| In length each finger doth his next excel, | |
| Each richly headed with a pearly shell | |
| Richer then that fair precious virtuous horn | |
| That arms the forehead of the Unicorn. | |
| Thus every part in contrariety | 105 |
| Meets in the whole and makes a harmony | |
| As divers strings do singly disagree | |
| But form’d by number make sweet melody. | |
| Unto the Idol of ye work divine | |
| I consecrate this loving work of mine, | 110 |
| Bowing my lips unto ye stately root | |
| Whence beauty springs, and thus I kiss thy foot. | |