Love
The Arguments of the First and Second Sestiads
From Hero and Leander (1598)
The Argument of the First Sestiad
Hero's description and her love's;
The fane of Venus where he moves
His worthy love-suit, and attains;
Whose bliss the wrath of Fates restrains
For Cupid's grace to Mercury:
Which tale the author doth imply.
The Argument of the Second Sestiad
Hero of love takes deeper sense,
And doth her love more recompense:
Their first night's meeting, where sweet kisses
Are th' only crowns of both their blisses.
He swims t' Abydos, and returns:
Cold Neptune with his beauty burns;
Whose suit he shuns, and doth aspire
Hero's fair tower and his desire.
Codex Note
These two verse Arguments head Marlowe's Sestiads I and II in the 1598 edition; the Gutenberg editor notes that Chapman supplied the Arguments for all six Sestiads. His Arguments to Sestiads III–VI stand in his own continuation, Hero and Leander (Chapman), and Marlowe's poem itself is under Christopher Marlowe.
Cite this poem
MLA
Chapman, George. “The Arguments of the First and Second Sestiads.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/chapman/0/.
Chicago
Chapman, George. “The Arguments of the First and Second Sestiads.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/chapman/0/.
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