Ode VIII: Disdain at Variance with Desire

Disdain that so doth fill me,
Hath surely sworn to kill me,
And I must die;
Desire that still doth burn me,
To life again will turn me,
And live must I.
Oh kill me then, Disdain!
That I may live again.

Thy looks are life unto me,
And yet those looks undo me,
O death and life!
Thy smile some rest doth show me,
Thy frown with war o'erthrow me,
O peace and strife!
Nor life nor death is either,
Then give me both, or neither.

Life only cannot please me,
Death only cannot ease me;
Change is delight.
I live, that death may kill me;
I die, that life may fill me,
Both day and night.
If once Despair decay,
Desire will wear away.