Maid's Tragedy — Act I (Part 8 of 9)

SONG.

Cynthia, to thy power and thee,
      We obey.
Joy to this great company!
      And no day
Come to steal this night away,
   Till the rites of love are ended;
And the lusty bridegroom say,
   Welcome, light, of all befriended. Pace out, you watery powers below;
      Let your feet,
Like the gallies when they row,
      Even beat.
Let your unknown measures, set
   To the still winds, tell to all,
That gods are come, immortal, great,
   To honour this great nuptial.

[The Measure by the Sea-gods.

SECOND SONG.

Hold back thy hours, dark Night, till we have done:
    The day will come too soon;
Young maids will curse thee if thou steal’st away,
And leav’st their losses open to the day;
    Stay, stay, and hide
    The blushes of the bride!
Stay, gentle Night, and with thy darkness cover
    The kisses of her lover.
Stay, and confound her tears, and her shrill cryings,
Her weak denials, vows, and often dyings;
    Stay, and hide all:
    But help not, though she call.

Nept. Great queen of us and Heaven,
Hear what I bring to make this hour a full one,
If not o’ermeasure.

Cynth. Speak, sea’s king.

Nept. The tunes my Amphitrite joys to have, When they will dance upon the rising wave,
And court me as she sails. My Tritons, play
Music to lead a storm; I’ll lead the way.

[Measure.

SONG.

To bed, to bed; come, Hymen, lead the bride,
   And lay her by her husband’s side;
      Bring in the virgins every one,
      That grieve to lie alone;
That they may kiss while they may say, a maid;
To-morrow, ’twill be other, kiss’d, and said.
      Hesperus be long a-shining,
      Whilst these lovers are a-twining.

Æol. Ho! Neptune!

Nept. Æolus!

Æol. The sea goes high,
Boreas hath raised a storm: Go and apply
Thy trident; else, I prophesy, ere day
Many a tall ship will be cast away.
Descend with all the gods, and all their power,
To strike a calm.

Cynth. A thanks to every one, and to gratulate
So great a service, done at my desire,
Ye shall have many floods, fuller and higher
Than you have wished for; no ebb shall dare
To let the day see where your dwellings are.
Now back unto your government in haste,
Lest your proud charge should swell above the waste,
And win upon the island.

Nept. We obey.

[Neptune descends, and the Sea-gods.

Cynth. Hold up thy head, dead Night; see’st thou not Day?
The east begins to lighten: I must down,
And give my brother place.

Night. Oh, I could frown
To see the Day, the Day that flings his light
Upon my kingdom, and contemns old Night!
Let him go on and flame! I hope to see
Another wild-fire in his axletree;
And all fall drench’d. But I forgot; speak, queen.
The day grows on; I must no more be seen.