Edmund Spenser

Name: The Faerie Queene
Author: Edmund Spenser

The Faerie Queene

Summary

“The Faerie Queene”, is a work by Edmund Spenser. It explores elements such as Errours endlesse, stretcht and feares.

Quotes from The Faerie Queene (Edmund Spenser)

Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene

“ A streame of cole black bloud forth gushed from her corse.
XXV
Her scattred brood,^ soone as their Parent deare
⁠They saw so rudely falling to the ground,
⁠Groning full deadly, all with troublous feare,
⁠Gathred themselves about her body round,
⁠Weening their wonted entrance to have found
⁠At her wide mouth: but being there withstood
⁠They flocked all about her bleeding wound,
⁠And sucked up their dying mothers blood,
Making her death their life, and eke her hurt their good. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene

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

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Source: Wikisource

Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene

“ Yet haue from wisest ages hidden beene:
And later times things more vnknowne shall show.
Why then should witlesse man so much misweene
That nothing is, but that which he hath seene?
What if within the Moones faire shining spheare? ”

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Source: Wikisource

Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene

“ Their dam upstart, out of her den effraide,
⁠And rushed forth, hurling her hideous taile
⁠About her cursed head, whose folds displaid
⁠Were stretcht now forth at length without entraile.
⁠She lookt about, and seeing one in mayle
⁠Armed to point,^ sought backe to turne againe;
⁠For light she hated as the deadly bale,
⁠Ay wont in desert darknesse to remaine,
Where plain none might her see, nor she see any plaine. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene

“ My weaker yeares
⁠Captiv'd to fortune and frayle worldly feares,
⁠Fly to your fayth for succour and sure ayde:
⁠Let me not dye in languor and long teares.
⁠Why Dame (quoth he) what hath ye thus dismayd?
What frayes ye, that were wont to comfort me affrayd?
LIII
Love of your selfe, she saide, and deare constraint,
⁠Lets me not sleepe, but wast the wearie night
⁠In secret anguish and unpittied plaint,
⁠Whiles you in carelesse sleepe are drowned quight. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene

“ That for my sake unknowne such griefe unto you grew.
LIV
Assure your selfe, it fell not all to ground;^
⁠For all so deare as life is to my hart,
⁠I deeme your love, and hold me to you bound:
⁠Ne let vaine feares procure your needlesse smart,
⁠Where cause is none, but to your rest depart. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene

“ Who all this while with charmes and hidden artes,
⁠Had made a Lady of that other Spright,
⁠And fram'd of liquid ayre her tender partes
⁠So lively, and so like in all mens sight,
⁠That weaker sence it could have ravisht quight:
⁠The maker selfe, for all his wondrous witt,
⁠Was nigh beguiled with so goodly sight:
⁠Her all in white he clad, and over it
Cast a black stole, most like to seeme^ for Una fit. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene

“ Much daunted with that dint, her sence was dazd,
⁠Yet kindling rage, her selfe she gathered round,
⁠And all attonce her beastly body raizd
⁠With doubled forces high above the ground:
⁠Tho wrapping up her wrethed sterne arownd,
⁠Lept fierce upon his shield, and her huge traine
⁠All suddenly about his body wound,
⁠That hand or foot to stirre he strove in vaine:
God helpe the man so wrapt in Errours endlesse traine. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene

“ A little lowly Hermitage it was,
⁠Downe in a dale, hard by a forests side,
⁠Far from resort of people, that did pas
⁠In travell to and froe: a little wyde^
⁠There was an holy Chappell edifyde,
⁠Wherein the Hermite dewly wont to say
⁠His holy things each morne and eventyde:
⁠Thereby a Christall streame did gently play,
Which from a sacred fountaine welled forth alway.
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Arrived there, the little house they fill,
⁠Ne looke for entertainement, where none was:
⁠Rest is their feast, and all things at their will:
⁠The noblest mind the best contentment has. ”

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Source: Wikisource

Edmund Spenser, The Faerie Queene

“ Vertue gives her selfe light, through darkenesse for to wade.
XIII
Yea but (quoth she) the perill of this place
⁠I better wot then you, though now too late
⁠To wish you backe returne with foule disgrace,
⁠Yet wisedome warnes, whilest foot is in the gate,
⁠To stay the steppe, ere forced to retrate.
⁠This is the wandring wood,^ this Errours den,
⁠A monster vile, whom God and man does hate:
⁠Therefore I read beware. Fly fly (quoth then
The fearefull Dwarfe) this is no place for living men. ”

Edmund Spenser

Summary

Quotes from The Faerie Queene (Edmund Spenser)

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