All I care for is to play,
      Gaze upon my treasure,
    Now and then to touch her hand,
      Kiss in modest measure;
    But the fifth act of love’s game,
      Dream not of that pleasure!

    For to touch the bloom of youth
      Spoils its frail complexion;
    Let the young grape gently grow
      Till it reach perfection;
    Hope within my heart doth glow
      Of the girl’s affection.

    Sweet above all sweets that are
      ’Tis to play with Phyllis;
    For her thoughts are white as snow,
      In her heart no ill is;
    And the kisses that she gives
      Sweeter are than lilies.

    Love leads after him the gods
      Bound in pliant traces;
    Harsh and stubborn hearts he bends,
      Breaks with blows of maces;
    Nay, the unicorn is tamed
      By a girl’s embraces.

    Love leads after him the gods,
      Jupiter with Juno;
    To his waxen measure treads
      Masterful Neptune O! 
    Pluto stern to souls below
      Melts to this one tune O!

    Whatsoe’er the rest may do,
      Let us then be playing: 
    Take the pastime that is due
      While we’re yet a-Maying;
    I am young and young are you;
      ’Tis the time for playing.

Up to this time, the happiness of love returned and satisfied has been portrayed.  The following lyric exhibits a lover pining at a distance, soothing his soul with song, and indulging in visions of happiness beyond his grasp—­[Greek:  eidolois kalleus kopha chliainomenos], as Meleager phrased it on a similar occasion.

LOVE LONGINGS.

No. 38.

With song I seek my fate to cheer,
As doth the swan when death draws near;
Youth’s roses from my cheeks retire,
My heart is worn with fond desire. 
Since care and woe increase and grow, while
light burns low,
Poor wretch I die! 
Heigho!  I die, poor wretch I die! 
Constrained to love, unloved; such luck have I!

If she could love me whom I love,
I would not then exchange with Jove: 
Ah! might I clasp her once, and drain
Her lips as thirsty flowers drink rain! 
With death to meet, his welcome greet, from
life retreat,
I were full fain! 
Heigho! full fain, I were full fain,
Could I such joy, such wealth of pleasure gain!

When I bethought me of her breast,
Those hills of snow my fancy pressed;
Longing to touch them with my hand,
Love’s laws I then did understand. 
Rose of the south, blooms on her mouth; I felt
love’s drouth
That mouth to kiss! 
Heigho! to kiss, that mouth to kiss! 
Lost in day-dreams and vain desires of bliss.

The next is the indignant repudiation by a lover of the calumny that he has proved unfaithful to his mistress.  The strongly marked double rhymes of the original add peculiar vehemence to his protestations; while the abundance of cheap mythological allusions is emphatically Goliardic.