Henry Wotton(1568—1639)

Elizabeth of Bohemia^[1]

You meaner beauties of the night,

　That poorly satisfy our eyes

More by your number than your light,

　You common people of the skies;

　What are you when the moon shall rise?

You curious chanters of the wood,

　That warble forth Dame Nature's lays,

Thinking your passions understood

　By your weak accents; what's your praise

　When Philomel her voice shall raise?

You violets that first appear,

　By your pure purple mantles known

Like the proud virgins of the year,

　As if the spring were all your own;

　What are you when the rose is blown?

So, when my mistress shall be seen

　In form and beauty of her mind,

By virtue first, then choice, a Queen,

　Tell me, if she were not designed

　Th' eclipse and glory of her kind?

[1] Elizabeth of Bohemia出生于王族，1613年嫁给巴拉丁选侯弗雷德里克，六年后，丈夫成为波希米亚国王，但在位一年就被天主教联盟驱逐。她随家迁至荷兰后，生活贫困，1662年死于英格兰。