His Picture.
Here take my Picture; though I bid farewell,
Thine, in my heart, where my soule dwels, shall dwell.
'Tis like me now, but I dead, 'twill be more
When wee are shadowes both, then'twas before.
When weather-beaten I come backe; my hand,
Perhaps with rude oares torne, or Sun beams tann'd,
My face and brest of hairecloth, and my head
With cares rash sodaine stormes, being o'rspread,
My body'a sack of bones, broken within,
And powders blew staines scatter'd on my skinne;
If rivall fooles taxe thee to'have lov'd a man,
So foule, and course, as, Oh, I may seeme than,
This shall say what I was: and thou shalt say,
Doe his hurts reach mee? doth my worth decay?
Or doe they reach his judging minde, that hee
Should now love lesse, what hee did love to see?
That which in him was faire and delicate,
Was but the milke, which in loves childish state
Did nurse it: who now is growne strong enough
To feed on that, which to disused tasts seemes tough.
[Eleg. V. His Picture. 1635-54: Elegie V. 1633, 1669:
Elegye. (numbered variously) A18, A25, Cy, D, H49,
JC, Lec, N, O'F, S, S96, TCC, TCD, W:
The Picture. P: Travelling he leaves his Picture with his
mystris. B]
[1 Picture; ... farewell, Ed: Picture, ... farewell; 1633:
rest semicolon or colon after each]
[8 With cares rash sodaine stormes, being o'rspread, 1633,
A18, N, TC: With cares rash, cruel, sudden storms
o'erspread P: With cares rash-sudden cruel-storms o'erprest
B: With cares rash sudden storms o'erpressed S, S96:
With cares rash sudden storms o'erspread Cy, D, H49,
Lec: With cares rash sodaine horiness o'erspread A25,
JC, W: With cares harsh sodaine horinesse o'rspread,
1635-69, O'F]
[16 now love lesse, 1633-69, A18, N, TC: like and love
less A25, B, Cy, D, H49, JC, Lec, O'F, P,
S, S96, W]
[19 nurse] nourish A18, N, P, S, TC
strong] tough P]
[20 disused Ed: disus'd 1633-39, A18, A25, B, Cy,
D, H49, JC, Lec, N, O'F, P, S, S96, TC,
W: weake 1650-69
tough.] rough. P]