Love
An Excellent Sonnet of a Nymph
From England's Helicon (1600), ed. A. H. Bullen (1887)
Virtue, beauty, and speech, did strike, wound, charm.
My heart, eyes, ears, with wonder, love, delight;
First, second, last, did bind, enforce, and arm,
His works, shows, suits, with wit, grace, and vows' might.
Thus honour, liking, trust, much, far, and deep.
Held, pierced, possess'd, my judgment, sense, and will.
Till wrongs, contempt, deceit, did grow, steal, creep.
Bands, favour, faith, to break, defile, and kill.
Then grief, unkindness, proof, took, kindled, taught.
Well grounded, noble, due, spite, rage, disdain;
But ah, alas! in vain, my mind, sight, thought.
Doth him, his face, his words, leave, shun, refrain.
For nothing, time, nor place, can loose, quench, ease,
Mine own, embraced, sought, knot, fire, disease.
Codex Note
Signed "Sir Phil. Sidney" in England's Helicon.
Cite this poem
MLA
Sidney, Philip. “An Excellent Sonnet of a Nymph.” Poetry Codex, poetrycodex.com/poem/sidney/164/.
Chicago
Sidney, Philip. “An Excellent Sonnet of a Nymph.” Poetry Codex. https://poetrycodex.com/poem/sidney/164/.
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