Ye silent shades, whose each tree here
Some relique of a saint doth wear;
Who for some sweet-heart’s sake, did prove
The fire and martyrdom of Love:–
Here is the legend of those saints
That died for love, and their complaints;
Their wounded hearts, and names we find
Encarved upon the leaves and rind.
Give way, give way to me, who come
Scorch’d with the self-same martyrdom!
And have deserved as much, Love knows,
As to be canonized ‘mongst those
Whose deeds and deaths here written are
Within your Greeny-kalendar.
–By all those virgins’ fillets hung
Upon! your boughs, and requiems sung
For saints and souls departed hence,
Here honour’d still with frankincense;
By all those tears that have been shed,
As a drink-offering to the dead;
By all those true-love knots, that be
With mottoes carved on every tree;
By sweet Saint Phillis! pity me;
By dear Saint Iphis! and the rest
Of all those other saints now blest,
Me, me forsaken,–here admit
Among your myrtles to be writ;
That my poor name may have the glory
To live remember’d in your story.
(Robert Herrick)
More Poetry from Robert Herrick:
Robert Herrick Poems based on Topics: Love, Fire, Nature, Success, Name, Complaints- A Pastoral upon the birth of Prince Charles: presented to the King (Robert Herrick Poems)
- His Litany, To The Holy Spirit (Robert Herrick Poems)
- His Winding-shee (Robert Herrick Poems)
- The Captiv'd Bee; Or, The Little Filcher (Robert Herrick Poems)
- The Beggar to Mab, The Queen Fairy (Robert Herrick Poems)
- A CONJURATION: TO ELECTRA (Robert Herrick Poems)
Readers Who Like This Poem Also Like:
Based on Topics: Love Poems, Nature Poems, Name Poems, Fire Poems, Success Poems, Complaints PoemsBased on Keywords: mongst, legend, deserved, rind, frankincense, knots, self-same, deaths, scorch, myrtles, fillets
- Threnodia Augustalis: Overture - Pastorale (Oliver Goldsmith Poems)
- The Song Of Hiawatha XV: Hiawatha's Lamentation (Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Poems)
- The Progress Of Patriotism (Nicholas Amhurst Poems)
- Jerusalem Delivered - Book 02 - part 06 (Torquato Tasso Poems)
- The Nation's Loss (Jacob Rhodes Poems)