Disdain Returned

By Thomas Carew 1595–1640 Thomas Carew

He that loves a rosy cheek,

Or a coral lip admires,

Or from star-like eyes doth seek

Fuel to maintain his fires;

As old Time makes these decay,

So his flames must waste away.

But a smooth and steadfast mind,

Gentle thoughts and calm desires,

Hearts with equal love combin'd,

Kindle never-dying fires.

Where these are not, I despise

Lovely cheeks, or lips, or eyes.

No tears, Celia, now shall win

My resolv'd heart to return;

I have search'd thy soul within,

And find nought, but pride, and scorn;

I have learn'd thy arts, and now

Can disdain as much as thou.

Some power, in my revenge, convey

That love to her I cast away.

Biography

Thomas Carew was the poetic arbiter elegantiae of the court of Charles I. He gave one last witty spin to the tradition of Petrarchan lyric, polishing and resetting the traditional conceits of love poetry for an increasingly sophisticated and aristocratic audience. Carew penned the most notorious erotic poem of the seventeenth century, "A Rapture," as well as what is generally regarded as the most accomplished of the Caroline . . .

Continue reading this biography