Love
Desire's Government
From A Poetical Rhapsody (1602), ed. A. H. Bullen (1890–91)
Where wit is over- ruled by will,
And will is led by fond Desire,
There Reason were as good be still,
As speaking, kindle greater fire;
For where Desire doth bear the sway,
The heart must rule, the head obey.
What boots the cunning pilot's skill,
To tell which way to shape their course;
When he that steers will have his will,
And drive them where he list, perforce?
So Reason shows the truth in vain,
Where fond Desire as king doth reign.
Codex Note
Credited to "A. W." in Francis Davison's own manuscript list (Bullen prints the initials in square brackets).
Cite this poem
MLA
Anonymous (Elizabethan miscellanies). “Desire's Government.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-elizabethan-miscellanies/86/.
Chicago
Anonymous (Elizabethan miscellanies). “Desire's Government.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/anonymous-elizabethan-miscellanies/86/.
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