The Dreame.
Image of her whom I love, more then she,
Whose faire impression in my faithfull heart,
Makes mee her Medall, and makes her love mee,
As Kings do coynes, to which their stamps impart
The value: goe, and take my heart from hence,
Which now is growne too great and good for me:
Honours oppresse weake spirits, and our sense
Strong objects dull; the more, the lesse wee see.
When you are gone, and Reason gone with you,
Then Fantasie is Queene and Soule, and all;
She can present joyes meaner then you do;
Convenient, and more proportionall.
So, if I dreame I have you, I have you,
For, all our joyes are but fantasticall.
And so I scape the paine, for paine is true;
And sleepe which locks up sense, doth lock out all.
After a such fruition I shall wake,
And, but the waking, nothing shall repent;
And shall to love more thankfull Sonnets make,
Then if more honour, teares, and paines were spent.
But dearest heart, and dearer image stay;
Alas, true joyes at best are dreame enough;
Though you stay here you passe too fast away:
For even at first lifes Taper is a snuffe.
Fill'd with her love, may I be rather grown
Mad with much heart, then ideott with none.
[Eleg. X. The Dreame. 1635-54: Elegie X. 1669: Elegie.
1633: Picture. S96: Elegie. or no title, A18, B,
D, H40, H49, L74, Lec, N, O'F, P, S, S96,
TCC, TCD]
[7 sense] sense, 1633]
[8 dull; 1635-69: dull, 1633]
[16 out] up B, P, S]
[17 a such 1633-54: such a 1669]
[22 dreame] dreams 1669]