On the Life of Man

What is our life? a play of passion,
Our mirth the musicke of division,
Our mothers wombes the tyring houses be,
When we are drest for this short Comedy,
Heaven the Judicious sharpe spector is,
That sits and markes still who doth act amisse,
Our graves that hide us from the searching Sun,
Are like drawne curtaynes when the play is done,
Thus march we playing to our latest rest,
Onely we dye in earnest, that’s no Jest.

(1 votes, average: 5,00 out of 5)

A Song in praise of a single life To the Tune of the Ghosts hearse. SOme do write of bloudy warres, Some shew the sundry iarres, twixt men, […]...

Winged with desire, I seek to mount on high Winged with desire, I seek to mount on high, Clogged with mishap, yet am I kept full low; Who seeks […]...

A Praise of His Lady Give place, you ladies, and begone! Boast not yourselves at all! For here at hand approacheth one Whose face will […]...

Man’s Life After Posidonius or Crates What path list you to tread? What trade will you assay? The courts of plea by brawl and bate drive […]...

The Nativity of Christ Behold the father is his daughter’s son, The bird that built the nest is hatch’d therein, The old of years […]...

IN COMMENDATION OF THE STEEL GLASS Sweet were the sauce would please each kind of taste; The life likewise were pure that never swerved: For spiteful […]...

Gascoygnes good night When thou hast spent the lingring day in pleasure and delight, Or after toyle and wearie waye, cost seeke to […]...

Laid in my quiet bed, in study as I were Laid in my quiet bed, in study as I were, I saw within my troubled head a heap of thoughts […]...

The force of Love in Strangers The feeble thred which Lachesis hath sponne, To drawe my dayes in short abode with thee, Hath wrought a webbe […]...

The Divorce of a Lover Divorce me nowe good death, from love and lingring life, That one hath bene my concubine, that other was my […]...

As oft as I behold, and see As oft as I behold, and see The sovereign beauty that me bound; The nigher my comfort is to me, […]...

A Child My Choice Let folly praise that fancy loves, I praise and love that Child Whose heart no thought, whose tongue no word, […]...

Who hath his fancy pleasèd Who hath his fancy pleasèd With fruits of happy sight; Let here his eyes be raisèd, On Nature’s sweetest light; […]...

The Seven Wonders of England I Near Wilton sweet, huge heaps of stones are found, But so confused, that neither any eye Can count them […]...

Love that doth reign and live within my thought Love that doth reign and live within my thought And built his seat within my captive breast, Clad in arms […]...

Upon the Image of Death Before my face the picture hangs That daily should put me in mind Of those cold names and bitter pangs […]...

Divers thy death do diversely bemoan OF THE DEATH OF SIR THOMAS WYATT. Divers thy death do diversely bemoan: Some, that in presence of thy livelihed […]...

Lady Surrey’s Lament for Her Absent Lord Good ladies, you that have your pleasure in exile, Step in your foot, come take a place, and mourn with […]...

Such wayward ways hath Love, that most part in discord Such wayward ways hath Love, that most part in discord Our wills do stand, whereby our hearts but seldom do […]...

Corinna When to her lute Corinna sings, Her voice revives the leaden strings, And doth in highest notes appear As any […]...

Autumn Autumn hath all the summer’s fruitful treasure; Gone is our sport, fled is poor Croydon’s pleasure. Short days, sharp days, […]...

My loue hath vowd hee will forsake mee My loue hath vowd hee will forsake mee, And I am alreadie sped. Far other promise he did make me […]...

When Laura Smiles When Laura smiles her sight reuiues both night and day: The earth and heauen viewes with delight her wanton play […]...

A Riddle A Lady once did aske of me, This preatie thing in privitie: Good sir (quod she) faine would I crave, […]...

The shield of Love L’Escu d’amour, the shield of perfect love, The shield of love, the force of stedfast faith, The force of faith […]...

Avising the bright beams of those fair eyes Avising the bright beams of those fair eyes, Where he abides that mine oft moisteth and washeth; The wearies mind […]...

THE DOUBT OF FUTURE FOES by Elizabeth I, Queen of England The doubt of future foes exiles my present joy, And wit me warns to […]...

Sleep, Baby Mine To the tune of Basciami vita mia Sleep, baby mine, Desire; nurse Beauty singeth: Thy cries, O baby, set mine […]...

Of The Birth And Bringing-Up Of Desire “When wert thou born, Desire?” In pomp and prime of May. “By whom, sweet boy, wert thou begot?” By good […]...

His Good Name Being Blemished, He Bewaileth [Ed. Note: De Vere was a quarrelsome individual and frequently had to leave Court in consequence. –Nelson] Framed in the […]...

The Lamentation of Mr. Pages Wife Of Plimouth, who, being forc’d to wed him, consented to his Murder, for the loue of G. Strangwidge: for which […]...

If Love now Reigned as it hath been If love now reigned as it hath been And were rewarded as it hath sin, Noble men then would sure […]...

A ioyful new Ballad Declaring the happie obtaining of the great Galleazzo, wherein Don Pedro de Valdez was the chiefe, through the mightie power […]...

A Mournfull Dittie, on the death of Rosamond, King Henry the seconds Concubine To the Tune of When flying Fame. Wenas King Henry rul’d this land, the second of that name, Besides the […]...

A Song in praise of Women To a pleasant new Tune, called, My Valentine. AMong all other things that God hath made beneath the skie, Most […]...

The sun hath twice brought forth his tender green The sun hath twice brought forth his tender green, Twice clad the earth in lively lustiness; Once have the winds […]...

O happy dames that may embrace O happy dames that may embrace The fruit of your delight; Help to bewail the woful case, And eke the […]...

Of King Edward the third, and the faire Countesse of Salisbury, setting forth her constancy and endlesse glory When as King Edward the third did liue, that valiant King: Dauid of Scotland to rebell, did then begin. The […]...

A song of Queene Isabel, wife to King Edward the second, how by the Spencers she was constrained secretly to goe out of England with her elder sonne Prince Edward, to seeke for succour in France, and what hapned vnto her in her iourney PRoud were the Spencers, and of condition ill, All England and the King likewise, they ruled at their will: And […]...

Pageant Verses Mr. Thomas More in his youth devised in his father’s house in London, a goodly hanging of fine painted cloth […]...

Related posts: