He is starke mad, who ever sayes,
That he hath beene in love an houre,
Yet not that love so soone decayes,
But that it can tenne in lesse space devour;
Who will beleeve mee, if I sweare
That I have had the plague a yeare?
Who would not laugh at mee, if I should say,
I saw a flaske of powder burne a day?
Ah, what a trifle is a heart,
If once into loves hands it come!
All other griefes allow a part
To other griefes, and aske themselves but some;
They come to us, but us Love draws,
Hee swallows us, and never chawes:
By him, as by chain'd shot, whole rankes doe dye,
He is the tyran Pike, our hearts the Frye.
If 'twere not so, what did become
Of my heart, when I first saw thee?
I brought a heart into the roome,
But from the roome, I carried none with mee:
If it had gone to thee, I know
Mine would have taught thine heart to show
More pitty unto mee: but Love, alas,
At one first blow did shiver it as glasse.
Yet nothing can to nothing fall,
Nor any place be empty quite,
Therefore I thinke my breast hath all
Those peeces still, though they be not unite;
And now as broken glasses show
A hundred lesser faces, so
My ragges of heart can like, wish, and adore,
But after one such love, can love no more.
[The broken heart. 1633-69: Broken Heart. L74: Song. or
no title, A18, A25, B, Cy, D, H49, JC, Lec,
N, O'F, S, TCC, TCD: Elegie. P, S96]
[8 flaske 1633, A25, B, C, Cy, D, H40, Lec,
O'F (corrected from flash), P, S: flash 1635-69,
A18, H49, N, TC]
[10 come! Ed: come? 1633-69]
[12 some; Ed: some, 1633-69]
[15 chain'd shot] chain-shott A18, A25, N, TC]
[16 tyran] Tyrant 1669
our hearts] and we 1669]
[17 did] could A18, A25, B, C, L74, O'F, N,
TC: would B, Cy, M, S]
[20 mee: 1650-69: mee; 1633-39]
[23 alas,] alas 1633]
[24 first] fierce A18, B, N, TC]
[30 hundred] thousand A18, A25, B, Cy, L74, M,
N, P, S, TC]