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           Richard Lovelace (1618-1658)

                                Song.

                  Set by Mr. John Laniere.

                  T O   L U C A S T A,

                    Going to the Wars.
                                                                             

                                       I.
    T E L L me not (Sweet) I am unkinde
        That from the Nunnery
    Of thy chaste breast, and quiet minde,
        To War and Armes I flie.

                                      I  I.
    True ; a new Mistresse now I chase,
        The first Foe in the Field ;
    And with a stronger Faith imbrace
        A Sword, a Horse, a Shield.

                                     I  I  I.
    Yet this Inconstancy is such,
        As you too shall adore ;
    I could not love thee (Deare) so much,
        Lov'd I not Honour more.

 

The above poem can be found in:
  • Lovelace, Richard Esq. Lucasta: Epodes, Odes, Sonnets, Songs, &c. To Which Is Added Aramantha, A Pastorall. London: Printed by Tho. Harper, 1649. (as found in the facsimile edition printed by Mentson, England: The Scolar Press Limited, 1972.)
  • Harmon, William, ed. The Classic Hundred Poems (Second Edition). New York: Columbia University Press, 1998.