Thomas Campion: Then bloody swords and armour should not be
Anti-war essays, poems, short stories and literary excerpts
Thomas Campion
A Booke of Ayres (1601)
My Sweetest Lesbia (after Catullus)
My sweetest Lesbia, let vs liue and loue,
And though the sager sort our deedes reproue,
Let vs not way them: heau’ns great lampes doe diue
Into their west, and straight againe reuiue,
But soone as once set is our little light,
Then must we sleepe one euer-during night.
If all would lead their liues in loue like mee,
Then bloudie swords and armour should not be,
No drum nor trumpet peaceful sleepes should moue,
Vnles alar’me came from the campe of loue:
But fooles do liue, and wast their little light,
And seeke with paine their euer-during night.
When timely death my life and fortune ends,
Let not my hearse be vext with mourning friends,
But let all louers rich in triumph come,
And with sweet pastimes grace my happie tombe;
And Lesbia close vp thou my little light,
And crown with loue my euer-during night.
