Arthur Quiller-Couch, ed. 1919. The Oxford Book of English Verse: 1250–1900.
Abraham Cowley. 16181667349. Anacreontics 1. Drinking
THE thirsty earth soaks up the rain, | |
And drinks and gapes for drink again; | |
The plants suck in the earth, and are | |
With constant drinking fresh and fair; | |
The sea itself (which one would think | 5 |
Should have but little need of drink) | |
Drinks twice ten thousand rivers up, | |
So fill’d that they o’erflow the cup. | |
The busy Sun (and one would guess | |
By ‘s drunken fiery face no less) | 10 |
Drinks up the sea, and when he ‘s done, | |
The Moon and Stars drink up the Sun: | |
They drink and dance by their own light, | |
They drink and revel all the night: | |
Nothing in Nature ‘s sober found, | 15 |
But an eternal health goes round. | |
Fill up the bowl, then, fill it high, | |
Fill all the glasses there—for why | |
Should every creature drink but I? | |
Why, man of morals, tell me why? | 20 |