The Passionate

Shepherd to His Love

marlowe

by Christopher Marlowe (1564-1593)


COME live with me and be my Love,
And we will all the pleasures prove
That hills and valleys, dale and field,
And all the craggy mountains yield.
There will we sit upon the rocks
And see the shepherds feed their flocks,
By shallow rivers, to whose falls
Melodious birds sing madrigals.
There will I make thee beds of roses
And a thousand fragrant posies,
A cap of flowers, and a kirtle
Embroider'd all with leaves of myrtle.
A gown made of the finest wool
Which from our pretty lambs we pull,
Fair linèd slippers for the cold,
With buckles of the purest gold.
A belt of straw and ivy buds
With coral clasps and amber studs:
And if these pleasures may thee move,
Come live with me and be my Love.
Thy silver dishes for thy meat
As precious as the gods do eat,
Shall on an ivory table be
Prepared each day for thee and me.
The shepherd swains shall dance and sing
For thy delight each May-morning:
If these delights thy mind may move,
Then live with me and be my Love.

     Share   Tell a Friend

Back to Alysion's Short List of Must-Read Poetry



  • Visit our Zazzle store:

Fine poetry and art go together. Support this site: Visit our Zazzle store featuring ultra hi-res images of artworks, Hubble/ESA/NASA space images, Mandelbrot fractals, maps and more. Images up to 525 megapixels allow for fine printing at the largest sizes. Give a fine print as a gift that could hang around for a hundred years or more.






  • Back to: Poems to Memorize

Other sites by Alysion

Popular Sites:
Mindfulness Sites:

Thrival Sites:


Sustainability Issues:

Satirical Sites:

Literature/Poetry Sites:

Interesting Sites:




External Links

  • Poets.org
  • From the Academy of American Poets.





a link