Love

Ode — To Chloe (False one, farewell, thou hast releast)

by Charles Cotton 1630–1687

From Poems on Several Occasions (1689)

Love

False one, farewell, thou hast releast
The Fire, imprison'd in my breast,
Your beauties make not half the show
They did a year or two ago;
For now I find,
The Beauties those fair walls enshrin'd,
Foul, and deform'd appear,
Ah! where
In Woman is a spotless mind?

I would not now take up thine Eyes,
But in revenge to tyrannize;
Nor should'st thou make me blot my skin,
With the black thou wear'st within;
If thou would'st meet,
As Brides do, in the Nuptial Sheet,
I would not kiss, nor play;
But say,
Thou nothing hast that can be sweet.

I was betray'd, by that fair Sign,
To entertainment cold within;
But found that fine built Fabrick lin'd,
With so ill contriv'd a Mind,
That now I must,
For ever (Chloe) leave to trust
The face that so beguiles
With smiles;
Falsehood's a charm to love, or lust.

MLA

Cotton, Charles. “Ode — To Chloe (False one, farewell, thou hast releast).” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/cotton/154/.

Chicago

Cotton, Charles. “Ode — To Chloe (False one, farewell, thou hast releast).” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/cotton/154/.

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