William Alexander, Earl of Stirling (1567?–1640)

O HAPPY Tithon! if thou know’st thy hap,

And valuest thy wealth, as I my want,

Then need’st thou not—which ah! I grieve to grant—

Repine at Jove, lulled in his leman’s lap:

That golden shower in which he did repose—

One dewy drop it stains

Which thy Aurora rains

Upon the rural plains,

When from thy bed she passionately goes.

Then, wakened with the music of the merles,

She not remembers Memnon when she mourns:

That faithful flame which in her bosom burns

From crystal conduits throws those liquid pearls:

Sad from thy sight so soon to be removed,

She so her grief delates.

—O favoured by the fates

Above the happiest states,

Who art of one so worthy well-beloved!