Love

Song (How comes it to pass with so little adoe)

by Charles Cotton 1630–1687

From Poems on Several Occasions (1689)

Love

How comes it to pass with so little adoe
That I've broke all my Fetters and Chains
And that no remembrance of all my great woe
But like that of a Tale now remains?
I no more for a Star now do Phillis esteem,
And all her Perfections to me now do seem
But like Dreams when I've malted my Brains.

I am now quite asham'd to see how she looks,
And no more the same Fair that before,
Those Beauties all gone put me so off the hooks,
And so troubled my Coxcomb of yore;
I Now see all the shot that she made was false fire,
And those murthering Charms I so much did admi[…]
Were defects, mere defects, and no more.

The Sun, or yet Love, are no more in her eyes,
They're as dim as a Nail's in a door,
She's so far with her Charms from gaining a prize,
That I doubt she must now run o'th' score;
And for that we call Mistress so monst'rous. unfit
To any man living that has Grace or Wit,
That she's scarce good enough for a Whore.

Yet, Sot that I was, I did once cry and blubber
For this damnable piece of Infection,
Which none could have done but an Owl and a Lubber,
But his sense would have been his Protection;
And for which on my self I will now pass this Sentence,
That to th' hour of my death I will weep for repentance
That I ever did weep for affection.

Farewell then, O Phillis! it is the Gods pleasure
That I reason might see to forsake you,
To open my eyes, then out of my loves treasure
Please t'accept of this farewell I make you;
'Tis a Complement that is most justly your due,
And but what in times past I took kindly from you
Ugly Phillis, a Whoreson's Pox take you.

MLA

Cotton, Charles. “Song (How comes it to pass with so little adoe).” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/cotton/18/.

Chicago

Cotton, Charles. “Song (How comes it to pass with so little adoe).” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/cotton/18/.

Read this poem with the Codex →

More by Charles Cotton