Thomas Humphry Ward, ed. The English Poets. 1880–1918.rnVol. II. The Seventeenth Century: Ben Jonson to Dryden
Thomas Carew (1595?1639?)A Prayer to the Wind
G
Bear this sigh, and if thou find
Where my cruel fair doth rest,
Cast it in her snowy breast,
So, enflamed by my desire,
It may set her heart a-fire.
Those sweet kisses thou shalt gain
Will reward thee for thy pain;
Boldly light upon her lip,
There suck odours, and thence skip
To her bosom; lastly fall
Down, and wander over all;
Range about those ivory hills,
From whose every part distils
Amber dew,—there spices grow,
There pure streams of nectar flow;
There perfume thyself, and bring
All those sweets upon thy wing;
As thou return’st, change by thy power
Every weed into a flower,
Turn each thistle to a vine,
Make the bramble eglantine!
For so rich a booty made,
Do but this, and I am paid.
Thou canst with thy powerful blast
Heat apace, and cool as fast;
Thou canst kindle hidden flame,
And again destroy the same;
Then, for pity, either stir
Up the fire of love in her,
That alike both flames may shine,
Or else quite extinguish mine.