Poem by Francis Beaumont

True Beauty

May I find a woman fair,
And her mind as clear as air,
If her beauty go alone,
'Tis to me as if't were none.

May I find a woman rich,
And not of too high a pitch;
If that pride should cause disdain,
Tell me, lover, where's thy gain?

May I find a woman wise,
And her falseliood not disguise;
Hath she wit as she hath will,
Double arm'd she is to ill.

May I find a woman kind,
And not wavering like the wind:
How should I call that love mine,
When 'tis his, and his, and thine?

May I find a woman true,
There is Bettutv's fairest hue,
There is Beauty, Love, and Wit:
Happy he can compass it. 

1. Ad Comitissam Rutlandiæ
2. In Laudem Authoris
3. To My Friend Mr. John Fletcher, upon His Faithful Sheperdess
4. The Author to the Reader
5. To the True Patroness of All Poetry, Calliope

Print

1637 Views

Last Poems

To Russian version