Love

What he Suffered

by Ben Jonson 1572-1637

From Underwoods (1640)

Love

After many scorns like these,
Which the prouder beauties please;
She content was to restore
Eyes and limbs, to hurt me more,
And would, on conditions, be
Reconciled to Love and me.
First, that I must kneeling yield
Both the bow and shaft I held
Unto her; which Love might take
At her hand, with oaths, to make
Me the scope of his next draft,
Aimed, with that self-same shaft.
He no sooner heard the law,
But the arrow home did draw,
And, to gain her by his art,
Left it sticking in my heart:
Which when she beheld to bleed,
She repented of the deed,
And would fain have chang'd the fate,
But the pity comes too late.
Loser-like, now, all my wreak
Is, that I have leave to speak;
And in either prose, or song,
To revenge me with my tongue;
Which how dexterously I do,
Hear, and make example too.

✦ ✦ ✦

Underwoods, A Celebration of Charis, no. 3.

MLA

Jonson, Ben. “What he Suffered.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/jonson/191/.

Chicago

Jonson, Ben. “What he Suffered.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/jonson/191/.

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