Tixall Poetry/Eyes and Lips. The Second Duell

Tixall Poetry
edited by Arthur Clifford
Eyes and Lips. The Second Duell by unknown author
4302695Tixall PoetryEyes and Lips. The Second Duellunknown author

Eyes and Lips.

The Second Duell.



Eyes.Let idle, prating lovers seeke
There fortunes in lip-rhetorick;
He study loves astroligye
I' th' doble sphere of beutyes eye.
Lips.Let idle, gasing lovers spy
There fates i' th' sphere of ether eye;
He reade loves sunshine or eclips
In beutys markd and naked lips.
E.I hope to Venus none deny
But that, in loves astronomy,
The eyes aford the best aspect;
And what would lovers more afect?
L.I hope to Cupid none will prove
But that, i' th' moving orbs of love,
The lips make best conjunction;
And what would lovers wish but union?
E.If lips are all the mouth can say,
The eyes have lips as well as they,
Which heare are onely lips to cover
The pearly treasures of a lover.
L.If pearles are all the eye can show,
The lips have each a perfect row,
Which, not to ope to vulger sights,
Are closd in corail cabinets.
E.Each rurall lover knows the price
Of corail lips cheape marchandise;
But who can prise loves diomond dart,
Is surely master of his art.
L.Each country-lass a ring may get,
And wear a braselet too of geat;
But loves quene onely gets the gem,
And beares the ruby diadem.
E.Ah! what are gemes' or jewells' light,
Compard to starres' or planets' sight?
Pore ruby lips would melt to spy
The doble sunns of ether eye.
L.They're falling starres and wandring spheres,
That, comet-like, disolve to teares;
Pore Sol himself must have eclips,
If but in sight of Daphnes lips.
E.The eyes are heavinly twins, that move
And guide us in the sea of love;
The double phare, whose welcome sight
Reveales the port of wishd delight.
L.Then eyes are onely flames, that show
Unto loves haven how to goe;
But what availes the biasing eye,
If lips there harbour first denye?
E.The eyes are loves familiers,
The intelligences of his spheres,
And can, twixt distant frend and frend,
Love characters and leters send.
L.They but his leter patents are,
Where vulgerd eyes' brode seales apeare;
But thers a deeper secret int,
Where lips theire privy seales imprint.
E.Eyes nature framd cleare, sownd, and even,
As pictures copied out of heavin,
With whose agilitye and light
We tast the glorifieing sight.
L.Light nature taught and levitye
To th' eyes, that they the lips might see;
Had eyes bin such a paradise,
She'de taught the lips to se the eyes.
E.Blind lips have but one propertye,
When eyes can fele as well as see;
There nature nigardly dispenses
Her single, here her double senses.
L.Dumbe eyes, that see all others blis,
Are blind to their owne hapines,
And still there muteal objects smother,
Where lips can fele and kis each other.
E.The eyes are guides that still convey
Loves pilgrims on there nerest way,
Lest in a woode of rivalls frighted,
They loose themselves, and be benighted.
L.Such subtill guids turne jelous spyes,
For Argus had a hundred eyes;
But Cupids blind, and scorning sight,
Can find his way as well by night.
E.If spies they bee, they may discover
Loves seasons to a woing lover;
But they by night are torches too,
That lead to finde as well as wooe.
L.Love's nere the nearer to be led
To Venus' lodge without a bed;
And on what pillow can he sleep,
But the soft roses of her lip?
E.Eyes windowes are, where loves deare paine
Flys in, and steales into the braine,
Where he the pleasing torment breeds,
And with his bitter sweetnesse feeds.
L.Lypps are the dores, where loves sharp food
Getts in to fill, and spill the blood;
And through the veines convayes the hart
His killing and his curing smart.
E.Tis fleshly love that feeds the tast;
Sight's purer food are spirits chast;
I' th' turtle's eye no venom is,
Though serpents poyson with a kisse.
L.Tis meare phantastick lovers fare,
To gape at spirits, feed on aire:
I' th' turtles kisse no poyson lyes,
Though basilisks can kill with eyes.
E.Loves eyes must surfet, sure, if fed
Upon no couler else but red;
Here joyne all objects of the vew,
Both black, and gray, and whit, and blew.
L.Love starves with too much apitite,
That has no fatter food then sight;
I' th' lip how all his beautys meet,
Both full and faire, and soft and sweet.
E.Though jealous mist of darkenesse covers
And shutts the rosy harts of lovers,
Of orient eyes one open ray
Again displays them to the day.
L.Though frost of coynesse make debate
Twixt Thirses' love and Phillis' state,
Of melting lipps one gentle kisse
Restores the shepard to his blisse.
E.As daysys red, in open feeld,
For sweetnesse to the violet yeeld,
So, in the soile of beauty's face,
The eye must of the lip take place;
Eyes that are Venus plotts of pansies,
Where lovers sett and gather fancies.
L.As drooping pansies hang the head,
If pinkes apeare on Venus bed,
So th' violet eye still droopes and tripps
Before the tulipps of too lipps;
Lipps that are budds and beds of roses,
Where kisses sow and gather posies.