T. R. Smith, comp. Poetica Erotica: Rare and Curious Amatory Verse. 1921–22.
The Insatiate Lover
Anonymous(From Merry Drollery, 1661) COME hither my own sweet duck, | |
And sit upon my knee, | |
That thou and I may truck | |
For thy Commodity, | |
If thou wilt be my honey, | 5 |
Then I will be thine own, | |
Thou shalt not want for money | |
If thou wilt make it known; | |
With hey ho my honey, | |
My heart shall never rue, | 10 |
For I have been spending money | |
And amongst the jovial Crew. | |
I prithee leave thy scorning, | |
Which our true love beguiles, | |
Thy eyes are bright as morning, | 15 |
The Sun shines in thy smiles, | |
Thy gesture is so prudent, | |
Thy language is so free, | |
That he is the best Student | |
Which can study thee; | 20 |
With hey, ho, etc. | |
The Merchant would refuse | |
His Indies and his Gold | |
If he thy love might chuse, | |
And have thy love in hold: | 25 |
Thy beauty yields more pleasure | |
Than rich men keep in store, | |
And he that hath such treasure | |
Never can be poor; | |
With hey ho, etc. | 30 |
The Lawyer would forsake | |
His wit and pleading strong; | |
The Ruler and Judge would take | |
Thy part wer’t right or wrong; | |
Should men thy beauty see | 35 |
Amongst the learned throngs, | |
Thy very eyes would be | |
Too hard for all their tongues; | |
With hey ho, etc. | |
Thy kisses to thy friend | 40 |
The Surgeon’s skill out-strips, | |
For nothing can transcend | |
The balsam of thy Lips, | |
There is such vital power | |
Contained in thy breath, | 45 |
That at the latter hour | |
’Twould raise a man from death; | |
With hey ho, etc. | |
Astronomers would not | |
Lie gazing in the skies | 50 |
Had they thy beauty got, | |
No Stars shine like thine eyes: | |
For he that may importune | |
Thy love to an embrace, | |
Can read no better fortune | 55 |
Than what is in thy face. | |
With hey ho, etc. | |
The Soldier would throw down | |
His Pistols and Carbine, | |
And freely would be bound | 60 |
To wear no arms but thine: | |
If thou wert but engaged | |
To meet him in the field, | |
Though never so much enraged | |
Thou couldst make him yield, | 65 |
With hey ho, etc. | |
The seaman would reject | |
To sail upon the Sea, | |
And his good ship neglect | |
To be aboard of thee: | 70 |
When thou liest on thy pillows | |
He surely could not fail | |
To make thy breast his billows, | |
And to hoist up sail; | |
With hey ho, etc. | 75 |
The greatest Kings alive | |
Would wish thou wert their own, | |
And every one would strive | |
To make thy Lap their Throne, | |
For thou hast all the merit | 80 |
That love and liking brings; | |
Besides a nobler spirit, | |
Which may conquer Kings; | |
With hey ho, etc. | |
Were Rosamond on earth | 85 |
I surely would abhor her, | |
Though ne’r so great by birth | |
I should not change thee for her; | |
Though Kings and Queens are gallant, | |
And bear a royal sway, | 90 |
The poor man hath his Talent, | |
And loves as well as they, | |
With hey ho, etc. | |
Then prithee come and kiss me, | |
And say thou art mine own, | 95 |
I vow I would not miss thee | |
Not for a Prince’s Throne; | |
Let Love and I persuade thee | |
My gentle suit to hear: | |
If thou wilt be my Lady, | 100 |
Then I will be thy dear; | |
With hey ho, etc. | |
I never will deceive thee, | |
But ever will be true, | |
Till death I shall not leave thee, | 105 |
Or change thee for a new; | |
We’ll live as mild as may be, | |
If thou wilt but agree, | |
And get a pretty baby | |
With a face like thee, | 110 |
With hey ho, etc. | |
Let these persuasions move thee | |
Kindly to comply, | |
There’s no man that can love thee | |
With so much zeal as I; | 115 |
Do thou but yield me pleasure, | |
And take from me this pain, | |
I’ll give thee all the Treasure | |
Horse and man can gain; | |
With hey ho, etc. | 120 |
I’ll fight in forty duels | |
To obtain thy grace, | |
I’ll give thee precious jewels | |
Shall adorn thy face; | |
E’er thou for want of money | 125 |
Be to destruction hurl’d, | |
For to support my honey | |
I’ll plunder all the world; | |
With hey ho, etc. | |
That smile doth show consenting, | 130 |
Then prithee let’s be gone, | |
There shall be no repenting | |
When the deed is done; | |
My blood and my affection, | |
My spirits strongly move, | 135 |
Then let us for this action | |
Fly to yonder grove, | |
With hey ho, etc. | |
Let us lie down by those bushes | |
That are grown so high, | 140 |
Where I will hide thy blushes; | |
Here’s no standers by | |
This seventh day of July, | |
Upon this bank we’ll lie, | |
Would all were, that love truly, | 145 |
As close as thou and I; | |
With hey ho, my honey, | |
My heart shall never rue, | |
For I have been spending money | |
Amongst the jovial Crew. | 150 |