He looks upon his love, and neighs unto her;
She answers him as if she knew his mind, 308
Being proud, as females are, to see him woo her,
She puts on outward strangeness, seems unkind,
Spurns at his love and scorns the heat he feels,
Beating his kind embracements with her heels. 312
Then like a melancholy malcontent,
He vails his tail that like a falling plume,
Cool shadow to his melting buttock lent:
He stamps, and bites the poor flies in his fume. 316
His love, perceiving how he was enrag’d,
Grew kinder, and his fury was assuag’d.
His testy master goeth about to take him,
When lo the unback’d breeder, full of fear, 320
Jealous of catching, swiftly doth forsake him,
With her the horse, and left Adonis there:
As they were mad, unto the wood they hie them,
Outstripping crows that strive to overfly them. 324
All swoln with chafing, down Adonis sits,
Banning his boisterous and unruly beast;
And now the happy season once more fits
That love-sick love by pleading may be blest; 328
For lovers say, the heart hath treble wrong,
When it is barr’d the aidance of the tongue.
An oven that is stopp’d, or river stay’d,
Burneth more hotly, swelleth with more rage: 332
So of concealed sorrow may be said,
Free vent of words love’s fire doth assuage;
But when the heart’s attorney once is mute,
The client breaks, as desperate in his suit. 336
He sees her coming, and begins to glow,
Even as a dying coal revives with wind,
And with his bonnet hides his angry brow,
Looks on the dull earth with disturbed mind, 340
Taking no notice that she is so nigh,
For all askance he holds her in his eye.
O what a sight it was, wistly to view
How she came stealing to the wayward boy, 344
To note the fighting conflict of her hue,
How white and red each other did destroy:
But now her cheek was pale, and by and by
It flash’d forth fire, as lightning from the sky. 348
Now was she just before him as he sat,
And like a lowly lover down she kneels;
With one fair hand she heaveth up his hat,
Her other tender hand his fair cheek feels: 352
His tend’rer cheek receives her soft hand’s print,
As apt as new-fall’n snow takes any dint.
Oh what a war of looks was then between them,
Her eyes petitioners to his eyes suing, 356
His eyes saw her eyes, as they had not seen them,
Her eyes woo’d still, his eyes disdain’d the wooing:
And all this dumb play had his acts made plain
With tears, which, chorus-like, her eyes did rain.
Full gently now she takes him by the hand, 361
A lily prison’d in a gaol of snow,
Or ivory in an alabaster band,
So white a friend engirts so white a foe: 364
This beauteous combat, wilful and unwilling,
Show’d like two silver doves that sit a-billing.