Astrophil and Stella
Sonnet 88
Out, traitor absence, darest thou counsel me
From my dear captainess to run away,
Because in brave array here marcheth she,
That, to win me, oft shows a present pay?
Is faith so weak? or is such force in thee?
When sun is hid, can stars such beams display?
Cannot heaven's food, once felt, keep stomachs free
From base desire on earthly cates to prey?
Tush, absence; while thy mists eclipse that light,
My orphan sense flies to the inward sight,
Where memory sets forth the beams of love;
That, where before heart loved and eyes did see,
In heart both sight and love now coupled be:
United powers make each the stronger prove.
Sir Philip Sidney
Back to Sonnet 87
Forward to Sonnet 89