Thomas Heywood


From

"THE GOLDEN AGE" (1611)

DIAN'S VOTARIES.

HAIL, beauteous Dian, queen of shades,
That dwells beneath these shadowy glades,
Mistress of all those beauteous maids
     That are by her allowed.
Virginity we all profess,
Abjure the worldly vain excess,
And will to Dian yield no less
     Than we to her have vowed.
The shepherds, satyrs, nymphs, and fauns,
For thee will trip it o'er the lawns.

Come, to the forest let us go,
And trip it like the barren doe;
The fauns and satyrs still do so,
     And freely thus they may do.
The fairies dance and satyrs sing,
And on the grass tread many a ring,
And to their caves their venison bring;
     And we will do as they do.
                      The shepherds, satyrs, &c., &c.

Our food is honey from the bees,
And mellow fruits that drop from trees;
In chase we climb the high degrees
     Of every steepy mountain.
And when the weary day is past,
We at the evening hie us fast,
And after this, our field repast,
     We drink the pleasant fountain.
                      The shepherds, satyrs, &c., &c.


Source:

Lyrics from the Dramatists of the Elizabethan Age.
A. H. Bullen, ed. London: John C. Nimmo, 1889. 147.



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