The Teare.[24]

I.

What bright-soft thing is this, Sweet Mary, thy faire eyes' expence? A moist sparke it is, A watry diamond; from whence The very tearme, I think, was found, The water of a diamond.

II.

O, 'tis not a teare: 'Tis a star about to dropp From thine eye, its spheare; The sun will stoope and take it up: Proud will his sister be, to weare This thine eyes' iewell in her eare.

III.

O, 'tis a teare, Too true a teare; for no sad eyne, How sad so 'ere, Raine so true a teare, as thine; Each drop leaving a place so deare, Weeps for it self; is its owne teare.

IV.

Such a pearle as this is, Slipt from Aurora's dewy brest-- The rose-bud's sweet lipp kisses; And such the rose it self that's vext With ungentle flames, does shed, Sweating in a too warm bed.

V.

Such the maiden gem, By the purpling vine put on, Peeps from her parent stem, And blushes on the bridegroom sun; The watry blossome of thy eyne Ripe, will make the richer wine.

VI.

Faire drop, why quak'st thou so? 'Cause thou streight must lay thy head In the dust? O, no! The dust shall never be thy bed: A pillow for thee will I bring, Stuft with downe of angel's wing.

VII.

Thus carried up on high (For to Heaven thou must goe), Sweetly shalt thou lye, And in soft slumbers bath thy woe, Till the singing orbes awake thee, And one of their bright chorus make thee.

VIII.

There thy selfe shalt bee An eye, but not a weeping one; Yet I doubt of thee, Whether th' had'st rather there have shone An eye of heaven; or still shine here, In the heaven of Marie's eye, a TEARE.

NOTES AND ILLUSTRATIONS.

It is to be re-noted that st. v. is identical in all save 'watry' for 'bridegroom' with st. xi. of 'The Weeper' as given in text of 1652, and that st. iv. has two lines from st. xxix. of the same poem. Neither of these stanzas appear in 'The Weeper' of 1646. As stated in relative foot-note, I have withdrawn the former from 'The Weeper.' We may be sure it was inadvertently inserted in 1652, seeing that the very next stanza closes with the same word 'wine' as in it: a fault which our Poet never could have passed. It is to be noticed too that 'The Teare' did not appear in the edition of 1652. By transferring the stanza to 'The Teare' as in 1646, 1648 and 1670 editions, a blemish is removed from 'The Weeper,' while in 'The Teare' it is a vivid addition. The 'such' of line 1 links it naturally on to st. iv. with its 'such.'

Our text follows that of 1648 except in st. v. line 4, where I adopt the reading of 1652 in 'The Weeper' (there st. xi.) of 'bridegroom' (misprinted 'bridegrooms') for 'watry,' and that I correct in st. vii. line 6, the misprint 'the' for 'thee,'--the latter being found in 1646 and 1670. With reference to st. v. again, in line 5 in 'The Weeper' of 1648 the reading is 'balsome' for 'blossom.' The 'ripe' of line 6 settles (I think) that 'blossom' is the right word, as the ripe blossom is = the grape, to the rich lucent-white drops of which the Weeper's tears are likened. 'Balsome' doesn't make wine. I have adopted from st. xi. of 'The Weeper' of 1652 the reading 'the purpling vine' for 'the wanton Spring' of 1646, 1648 and 1670. The SANCROFT MS. in st. i. line 2, reads 'expends' for 'expence;' st. iv. line 4, 'that's' for 'when;' st. v. line 4, 'manly sunne' for 'bridegroome,' and line 5, 'thine' for 'thy;' st. viii. line 6, 'I' th'' for 'In th'.' G.