Edmund Spenser

“ So every spirit, as it is most pure
And hath in it the more of heavenly light,
So it the fairer bodie doth procure
To habit in, and it more fairely dight
With chearfull grace and amiable sight;
For of the soule the bodie forme doth take,
For soule is forme and doth the bodie make. ”

“ Thou wretched man, of death hast greatest need,
2 If in true ballance thou wilt weigh thy state:
For neuer knight, that dared warlike deede,
4 More lucklesse disauentures did amate:
Witnesse the dongeon deepe, wherein of late
6 Thy life shut vp, for death so oft did call;
And though good lucke prolonged hath thy date,
8 Yet death then, would the like mishaps forestall,
Into the which hereafter thou maiest happen fall. ”

“ Then choosing out few wordes most horrible,
2 (Let none them read) thereof did verses frame,
With which and other spelles like terrible,
4 He bad awake blacke Plutoes griesly Dame,
And cursed heauen, and spake reprochfull shame
6 Of highest God, the Lord of life and light;
A bold bad man, that dar'd to call by name
8 Great Gorgon, Prince of darknesse and dead night,
At which Cocytus quakes, and Styx is put to flight. ”

“ If your interest has been now been aroused, I suggest you read the Letter to Raleigh before venturing on your journey through the landscape of The Faerie Queene.
You will find there a spacious playground for the mind. Its knights and ladies, dragons and satyrs, forests and castles, seem at first to be those of fantasy. Yet the FQ is by no means an exercise in escapism. Even incomplete, it triumphantly succeeds in Spenser's declared intention of fashioning a "noble person in vertuous and gentle discipline". ”

“ His louely words her seemd due recompence
2 Of all her passed paines: one louing howre
For many yeares of sorrow can dispence:
4 A dram of sweet is worth a pound of sowre:
She has forgot, how many a wofull stowre
6 For him she late endur'd; she speakes no more
Of past: true is, that true loue hath no powre
8 To looken backe; his eyes be fixt before.
Before her stands her knight, for whom she toyld so sore. ”

“ For day discouers all dishonest wayes,
2 And sheweth each thing, as it is indeed:
The prayses of high God he faire displayes,
4 And his large bountie rightly doth areed.
+Dayes dearest children+ be the blessed seed,
6 Which darknesse shall subdew, and heauen win:
Truth is his daughter; he her first did breed,
8 Most sacred virgin, without spot of sin.
Our life is day, but death with darknesse doth begin. ”

“ Then groning deepe, Nor damned Ghost, (quoth he,)
2 Nor guilefull sprite to thee these wordes doth speake,
But once a man Fradubio, now a tree,
4 Wretched man, wretched tree; whose nature weake,
A cruell witch her cursed will to wreake,
6 Hath thus transformd, and plast in open plaines,
Where Boreas doth blow full bitter bleake,
8 And scorching Sunne does dry my secret vaines:
For though a tree I seeme, yet cold and heat me paines. ”

“ WHat man so wise, what earthly wit so ware,
2 As to descry the crafty cunning traine,
By which deceipt doth maske in visour faire,
4 And cast her colours dyed deepe in graine,
To seeme like Truth, whose shape she well can faine,
6 And fitting gestures to her purpose +frame;+
The guiltlesse man with guile to entertaine?
8 Great maistresse of her art was that false Dame,
The false Duessa, cloked with Fidessaes name. ”

“ With dreadfull noise, and hollow rombling rore,
4 Came rushing in the fomy waues enrold,
Which seem'd to fly for feare, them to behold:
6 Ne wonder, if these did the knight appall;
For all that here on earth we dreadfull hold,
8 Be but as bugs to fearen babes withall,
Compared to the creatures in the seas entrall. ”

“ At last whenas the dreadfull passion
2 Was ouerpast, and manhood well awake,
Yet musing at the straunge occasion,
4 And doubting much his sence, he thus bespake;
What voyce of damned Ghost from Limbo lake,
6 Or guilefull spright wandring in empty aire,
Both which fraile men do oftentimes mistake,
8 Sends to my doubtfull eares these speaches rare,
And ruefull plaints, me bidding +guiltlesse+ bloud to spare? ”

“ This gracelesse man for furtherance of his guile,
2 Did court the handmayd of my Lady deare,
Who glad t'embosome his affection vile,
4 Did all she might, more pleasing to appeare.
One day to worke her to his will more neare,
6 He woo'd her thus: Pryene (so she hight)
What great despight doth fortune to thee beare,
8 Thus lowly to abase thy beautie bright,
That it should not deface all others lesser light? ”

“ Then said Cymochles; Palmer, thou doest dote,
2 Ne canst of prowesse, ne of knighthood deeme,
Saue as thou seest or hearst. But well I wote,
4 That of his puissance tryall made extreeme;
Yet gold all is not, that doth golden seeme,
6 Ne all good knights, that shake well speare and shield:
The worth of all men by their end esteeme,
8 And then due praise, or due reproch them yield ”

“ God of the world and worldlings I me call,
2 Great Mammon, greatest god below the skye,
That of my plenty poure out vnto all,
4 And vnto none my graces do enuye:
Riches, renowme, and principality,
6 Honour, estate, and all this worldes good,
For which men swinck and sweat incessantly,
8 Fro me do flow into an ample flood,
And in the hollow earth haue their eternall brood. ”

“ Certes > Assuredly
God > [before God; to God]
2 That sith I arms and knighthood first did plight,
sith > since arms > {Feats of arms} plight > pledge myself [to] ; also: plait, knit, hence: interweave
3 My whole desire has been, and yet is now, 4 To serve that queen with all my power and might. 5 Now has the sun, with his lamp-burning light, 6 Walked round about the world, and I no less, 7 Sith of that goddess I have sought the sight, 8 Yet nowhere can her find: such happiness 9 Heaven does to me envy, and fortune favourless. ”

“ Each goodly thing is hardest to begin,
2 But entred in a spacious court they see,
Both plaine, and pleasant to be walked in,
4 Where them does meete a francklin faire and free,
And entertaines with comely courteous glee,
6 His name was Zele, that him right well became,
For in his speeches and behauiour hee
8 Did labour liuely to expresse the same,
And gladly did them guide, till to the Hall they came. ”

“ Great father he of generation
2 Is rightly cald, th'author of life and light;
And his faire sister for creation
4 Ministreth matter fit, which tempred right
With heate and humour, breedes the liuing wight. ”

“ Eftsoones they heard a most melodious sound,
2 Of all that mote delight a daintie eare,
Such as attonce might not on liuing ground,
4 Saue in this Paradise, be heard elswhere:
Right hard it was, for wight, which did it heare,
6 To read, what manner musicke that mote bee:
For all that pleasing is to liuing eare,
8 Was there consorted in one harmonee,
Birdes, voyces, instruments, windes, waters, all agree. ”

“ Good or bad (gan his brother fierce reply)
2 What doe I recke, sith that he dyde entire?
Or what doth his bad death now satisfy
4 The greedy hunger of reuenging ire,
Sith wrathfull hand wrought not her owne desire?
6 Yet since no way is left to wreake my spight,
I will him reaue of armes, the victors hire,
8 And of that shield, more worthy of good knight;
For why should a dead dog be deckt in armour bright? ”

“ Whyles they his pittifull aduentures heard,
4 That oft they did lament his lucklesse state,
And often blame the too importune fate,
6 That heapd on him so many wrathfull wreakes:
For neuer gentle knight, as he of late,
8 So tossed was in fortunes cruell freakes;
And all the while salt teares bedeawd the hearers cheaks. ”

“ PURPOSE OF THE EDITION When reading a book such as The Faerie Queene, it is tempting to minimize the looking up of difficult words, which are often glossed, if at all, in the end pages. Although Spenser's use of certain words appears quaint and lumpish, the language is superficially modern enough to enable the reader to "get by". Yet such an approach can lead only to a faulty appreciation of the poem, and deprives one of much enchantment. Queen Elizabeth would have found nothing lumpish about the language: her only impatience might have been with Spenser's weakness for archaisms. ”

“ So passeth, in the passing of a day,
2 Of mortall life the leafe, the bud, the flowre,
Ne more doth flourish after first decay,
4 That earst was sought to decke both bed and bowre,
Of many a Ladie, and many a Paramowre:
6 Gather therefore the Rose, whilest yet is prime,
For soone comes age, that will her pride deflowre:
8 Gather the Rose of loue, whilest yet is time,
Whilest louing thou mayst loued be with equall crime.
1 "So passes, in the passing of a day, 2 Of mortal life the leaf, the bud, the flower, 3 No more does flourish after first decay, 4 That erst was sought to deck both bed and bower ”

“ The sight whereof in his congealed flesh,
2 Infixt such secret sting of greedy lust,
That the drie withered stocke it gan refresh,
4 And kindled heat, that soone in flame forth brust:
The driest wood is soonest burnt to dust. ”

“ And therewith all attonce at him let fly
2 Their fluttring arrowes, thicke as flakes of snow,
And round about him flocke impetuously,
4 Like a great water flood, that tombling low
From the high mountaines, threats to ouerflow
6 With suddein fury all the fertile plaine,
And the sad husbandmans long hope doth throw
8 A downe the streame, and all his vowes make vaine,
Nor bounds nor banks his headlong ruine may sustaine. ”

“ O lightsome day, the lampe of highest Ioue,
2 First made by him, mens wandring wayes to guyde,
When darknesse he in deepest dongeon droue,
4 Henceforth thy hated face for euer hyde,
And shut vp heauens windowes shyning wyde:
6 For earthly sight can nought but sorrow breed,
And late repentance, which shall long abyde.
8 Mine eyes no more on vanitie shall feed,
But seeled vp with death, shall haue their deadly meed. ”

“ Her snowy brest was bare to readie spoyle
2 Of hungry eies, which n'ote therewith be fild,
And yet through languour of her late sweet toyle,
4 Few drops, more cleare then Nectar, forth distild,
That like pure Orient perles adowne it trild,
6 And her faire eyes sweet smyling in delight,
Moystened their fierie beames, with which she thrild
8 Fraile harts, yet quenched not; like starry light
Which sparckling on the silent waues, does seeme more bright. ”

“ Tartarus > (The underworld of Roman mythology, the infernal regions; the lowest part of these; hell) steep > (Qualifying the hole rather than Tartarus)
5 Through which the damned ghosts do often creep 6 Back to the world, bad livers to torment:
bad livers > [those who live badly]
7 But naught that falls into this direful deep, 8 Nor that approaches nigh the wide descent, 9 May back return, but is condemned to be drenched. ”

“ That man so made, he called Elfe, to weet
2 Quick, the first authour of all Elfin kind:
Who wandring through the world with wearie feet,
4 Did in the gardins of Adonis find
A goodly creature, whom he deemd in mind
6 To be no earthly wight, but either Spright,
Or Angell, th'authour of all woman kind;
8 Therefore a Fay he her according hight,
Of whom all Faeryes spring, and fetch their lignage right. ”

“ No tree, whose braunches did not brauely spring;
2 No braunch, whereon a fine bird did not sit:
No bird, but did her shrill notes sweetly sing;
4 No song but did containe a louely dit:
Trees, braunches, birds, and songs were framed fit,
6 For to allure fraile mind to carelesse ease.
Carelesse the man soone woxe, and his weake wit
8 Was ouercome of thing, that did him please;
So pleased, did his wrathfull purpose faire appease.
1 No tree, whose branches did not bravely spring ”

“ Strange thing it is an errant knight to see
2 Here in this place, or any other wight,
That hither turnes his steps. So few there bee,
4 That +chose+ the narrow path, or seeke the right:
All keepe the broad high way, and take delight
6 With many rather for to go astray,
And be partakers of their euill plight,
8 Then with a few to walke the rightest way;
O foolish men, why haste ye to your owne decay? ”