Robert Herrick. The Frozen Zone; Or, Julia Disdainful.

Robert Herrick

THE FROZEN ZONE ; OR, JULIA DISDAINFUL.

WHITHER ? say, whither shall I fly,
To slack these flames wherein I fry ?
To the treasures, shall I go,
Of the rain, frost, hail, and snow ?
Shall I search the underground,
Where all damps and mists are found ?
Shall I seek (for speedy ease)
All the floods and frozen seas ?
Or descend into the deep,
Where eternal cold does keep ?
These may cool ; but there's a zone
Colder yet than anyone :
That's my Julia's breast, where dwells
Such destructive icicles,
As that the congelation will
Me sooner starve than those can kill.

Lorenzo Lotto (1480-1556). A Lady as Lucretia.

Lorenzo Lotto. A Lady as Lucretia, 1532.

Source:
Herrick, Robert. Works of Robert Herrick. vol I.
Alfred Pollard, ed.
London, Lawrence & Bullen, 1891. 48.

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