Love stood amazed at Beauty’s pain

1
Love stood amazed at sweet beauty's pain
Love would have said that all was but vain, and gods but half divine
But when Love saw that beauty would die, he all aghast to heavens did cry
O gods, what wrong is mine

2
Then his tears bred in thoughts of salt brine
Fell from his eyes, like rain in sunshine expelled by rage of fire:
Yet in such wise as anguish affords
He did express in these his last words his infinite desire

3
Are you fled, fair? Where are now those eyes?
Eyes but too fair, envied by the skies, you angry gods to know
With guiltless blood your sceptres you stain
On poor true hearts like tyrants you rain: unjust why do you so?

4
Are you false gods? Why then do you rain?
Are you just gods? Why then do you stain the life of love on earth
Beauty, now thy face lives in the skies
Beauty, now let me live in thine eyes, where bliss felt never death

5
Then from high rock, the rock of despair
He falls, in hope to smother in the air, or else on stones to burst
Or on cold waves to spend his last breath
Or his strange life to end by strange death, but fate forbid the worst

6
With pity moved the gods then change love
To Phoenix shape, yet cannot remove his wonted property
He loves the sun because it is fair
Sleep he neglects, he lives but by air, and would, but cannot die