Thomas Humphry Ward, ed. The English Poets. 1880–1918.rnVol. I. Early Poetry: Chaucer to Donne

Fulke Greville, Lord Brooke (1554–1628)

Extracts from Caelica: Seed-time and Harvest

[Sonnet XL.]

THE NURSE-LIFE wheat within his green husk growing

Flatters our hopes and tickles our desire;

Nature’s true riches in sweet beauties shewing,

Which set all hearts with labour’s love on fire.

No less fair is the wheat when golden ear

Shews unto hope the joys of near enjoying:

Fair and sweet is the bud; more sweet and fair

The rose, which proves that Time is not destroying.

Caelica, your youth, the morning of delight,

Enamel’d o’er with beauties white and red,

All sense and thoughts did to belief invite,

That love and glory there are brought to bed;

And your ripe years, Love, now they grow no higher,

Turn all the spirits of man into desire.