The Works of Christopher Marlowe, Vol. 3 | Page 8

kissed:

Long was he taking leave, and loath to go,
And kissed again, as
lovers use to do.
Sad Hero wrung him by the hand, and wept,

Saying, "Let your vows and promises be kept:"
Then standing at the
door, she turned about,
As loath to see Leander going out.
And now
the sun, that through th' horizon peeps,
As pitying these lovers,
downward creeps; 100 So that in silence of the cloudy night,
Though
it was morning, did he take his flight.
But what the secret trusty night
concealed,
Leander's amorous habit soon revealed:
With Cupid's
myrtle was his bonnet crowned,
About his arms the purple riband
wound,
Wherewith she wreath'd her largely-spreading hair;
Nor
could the youth abstain, but he must wear
The sacred ring wherewith
she was endowed,
When first religious chastity she vowed; 110
Which made his love through Sestos to be known,
And thence unto
Abydos sooner blown
Than he could sail; for incorporeal Fame,

Whose weight consists in nothing but her name,
Is swifter than the
wind, whose tardy plumes
Are reeking water and dull earthly fumes.
Home when he came, he seemed not to be there,

But, like exilèd air
thrust from his sphere,
Set in a foreign place; and straight from thence,

Alcides-like, by mighty violence, 120 He would have chas'd away

the swelling main,
That him from her unjustly did detain.
Like as
the sun in a diameter
Fires and inflames objects removèd far,
And
heateth kindly, shining laterally;
So beauty sweetly quickens when
'tis nigh,
But being separated and removed,
Burns where it
cherished, murders where it loved.
Therefore even as an index to a
book,
So to his mind was young Leander's look. 130 O, none but
gods have power[31] their love to hide!
Affection by the countenance
is descried;
The light of hidden fire itself discovers,
And love that is
concealed betrays poor lovers.
His secret flame apparently was seen:

Leander's father knew where he had been,
And for the same mildly
rebuk'd his son,
Thinking to quench the sparkles new-begun.
But
love, resisted once, grows passionate,
And nothing more than counsel
lovers hate; 140 For as a hot proud horse highly disdains
To have his
head controlled, but breaks the reins,
Spits forth the ringled[32] bit,
and with his hoves
Checks the submissive ground; so he that loves,

The more he is restrain'd, the worse he fares:
What is it now but mad
Leander dares?
"O Hero, Hero!" thus he cried full oft;
And then he
got him to a rock aloft,
Where having spied her tower, long star'd he
on't,
And pray'd the narrow toiling Hellespont 150 To part in twain,
that he might come and go;
But still the rising billows answer'd,
"No."
With that, he stripp'd him to the ivory skin,
And, crying,
"Love, I come," leap'd lively in:
Whereat the sapphire-visaged god
grew proud,
And made his capering Triton sound aloud,
Imagining
that Ganymede, displeas'd,
Had left the heavens; therefore on him he
seiz'd.
Leander strived; the waves about him wound,
And pull'd him
to the bottom, where the ground 160 Was strewed with pearl, and in
low coral groves
Sweet-singing mermaids sported with their loves

On heaps of heavy gold, and took great pleasure

To spurn in careless
sort the shipwreck treasure;
For here the stately azure palace stood,

Where kingly Neptune and his train abode.
The lusty god embrac'd
him, called him "Love,"
And swore he never should return to Jove:

But when he knew it was not Ganymed,
For under water he was
almost dead, 170 He heav'd him up, and, looking on his face,
Beat

down the bold waves with his triple mace,
Which mounted up,
intending to have kiss'd him,
And fell in drops like tears because they
miss'd him.
Leander, being up, began to swim,
And, looking back,
saw Neptune follow him:
Whereat aghast, the poor soul gan to cry,

"O, let me visit Hero ere I die!"
The god put Helle's bracelet on his
arm,
And swore the sea should never do him harm. 180 He clapped
his plump cheeks, with his tresses played,
And, smiling wantonly, his
love bewrayed;
He watched his arms, and, as they open'd wide
At
every stroke, betwixt them would he slide,
And steal a kiss, and then
run out and dance,
And, as he turn'd, cast many a lustful glance,

And throw him gaudy toys to please his eye,
And dive into the water,
and there pry
Upon his breast, his thighs, and every limb,
And up
again, and close beside him swim, 190 And talk of love. Leander made
reply,
"You are deceiv'd; I am no woman, I."
Thereat smil'd
Neptune, and then told a tale,
How that a shepherd, sitting in a vale,

Play'd with a boy so lovely-fair[33] and kind,
As for his love both
earth and heaven pin'd;
That of the cooling river durst not drink,

Lest water-nymphs should pull him from the brink;
And when he
sported in the fragrant lawns,
Goat-footed Satyrs and up-staring[34]
Fauns 200 Would steal him thence. Ere half this tale was done,
"Ay
me," Leander cried, "th' enamoured sun,
That now should shine on
Thetis' glassy bower,
Descends upon my radiant Hero's tower:
O,
that these tardy arms of mine were wings!"
And, as he spake, upon
the waves he springs.
Neptune was angry that he gave no ear,
And
in his heart revenging malice bare:
He