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** DEDICATION **
This website is respectfully dedicated to my sister and friend Jo Ebberley on the happy occasion of her marriage to Stuart Ebberley. May their married life be blissful in every way.
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In order to celebrate my sister's wedding, I offer this selection of poetical and dramatic fragments - from Shakespeare, Spenser, and Sappho - on the subject of love and marriage.
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JUNO:
Honour, riches, marriage-blessing,
Long continuance and increasing,
Hourly joys be still upon you!
Juno sings her blessings on you.
CERES:
Earth's increase, and foison plenty,
Barns and garners never empty,
Vines with clust'ring bunches growing,
Plants with goodly burden bowing;
Spring come to you at the farthest,
In the very end of harvest.
Scarcity and want shall shun you,
Ceres' blessing so is on you.
[The spirit masque to celebrate Miranda and Ferdinand's
betrothal -
William Shakespeare, The Tempest, 4.1.106-117]
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OLIVIA:
Blame not this haste of mine. If you mean well
Now go with me, and with this holy man,
Into the chantry by. There before him,
And underneath that consecrated roof,
Plight me the full assurance of your faith,
That my most jealous and too doubtful soul
May live at peace ... What do you say?
SEBASTIAN:
I'll follow this good man, and go with you,
And having sworn truth, ever will be true.
OLIVIA:
Then lead the way, good father, and heavens so shine
That they may fairly note this act of mine.
[Olivia and Sebastian's engagement and marriage -
William Shakespeare, Twelfth Night, 5.1.22-35]
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OBERON:
Through the house give glimmering light.
By the dead and drowsy fire
Every elf and fairy sprite
Hop as light as bird from brier,
And this ditty after me
Sing, and dance it trippingly.
TITANIA:
First rehearse your song by rote,
To each word a warbling note.
Hand in hand with fairy grace
Will we sing and bless this place.
[The song. The fairies dance]
OBERON:
Now until the break of day
Through this house each fairy stray
To the best bride bed will we
Which by us shall blessèd be,
And the issue there create
Ever shall be fortunate.
So shall all the couples three
Ever true in loving be,
And the blots of nature's hand
Shall not in their issue stand.
Never mole, harelip, nor scar,
Nor mark prodigious such as are
Despisèd in nativity
Shall upon their children be.
With this field-dew consecrate
Every fairy take his gait
And each several chamber bless
Through this palace with sweet peace;
And the owner of it blessed
Ever shall in safety rest.
Trip away, make no stay,
Meet me all by break of day.
[Oberon, Titania, Puck and the fairies bless the marriages of
Hippolyta and Theseus, Helena and Lysander, and Hermia and Demetrius -
William Shakespeare, A Midsummer Night's Dream, 5.2.21-52]
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Let me not to the marriage of true minds
Admit impediments. Love is not love
Which alters when it alterations finds,
Or bends with the remover to remove.
O no, it is an ever fixèd mark
That looks on tempests and is never shaken;
It is the star to every wand'ring barque,
Whose worth's unknown although his height be taken.
Love's not time's fool, though rosy lips and cheeks
Within his bending sickle's compass come;
Love alters not with his brief hours and weeks,
But bears it out even to the edge of doom.
If this be error and upon me proved,
I never writ, nor no man ever loved.
[William Shakespeare, Sonnet 116]
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Open the temple gates unto my love,
Open them wide that she may enter in,
And all the posts adorn as doth behove,
And all the pillars deck with garlands trim,
For to receive this Saint with honour due,
That cometh in to you.
With trembling steps and humble reverence,
She cometh in, before the Almighty's view,
Of her ye virgins learn obedience,
When so ye come into those holy places,
To humble your proud faces,
Bring her up to the high altar that she may,
The sacred ceremonies there partake,
The which do endless matrimony make,
And let the roaring Organs loudly play
The praises of the Lord in lively notes,
The whiles with hollow throats,
The Choristers the joyous Anthem sing,
That all the woods may answer, and their echo ring.
Behold whiles she before the altar stands
Hearing the holy priest that to her speaks
And blesseth her with his two happy hands,
How the red roses flush up in her cheeks,
And the pure snow with goodly vermil stain,
Like crimson dyed in grain,
That even the Angels which continually,
About the sacred Altar do remain,
Forget their service and about her fly,
Oft peeping in her face that seems more fair,
The more they on it stare.
But her sad eyes still fastened on the ground,
Are governed with goodly modesty,
That suffers not one look to glance awry,
Which may let in a little thought unsound,
Why blush ye love to give to me your hand,
The pledge of all our band?
Sing ye sweet Angels Alleluia sing,
That all the woods may answer and your echo ring.
Now all is done; bring home the bride again,
Bring home the triumph of our victory,
Bring home with you the glory of her gain,
With joyance bring her and with jollity.
Never had man more joyful day then this,
Whom heaven would heap with bliss.
Make feast therefore now all this livelong day,
This day forever to me holy is,
Pour out the wine without restraint or stay,
Pour not by cups, but by the bellyful,
Pour out to all that will,
And sprinkle all the posts and walls with wine,
That they may sweat, and drunken be withal.
Crown ye God Bacchus with a coronal,
And Hymen also crown with wreathes of vine,
And let the Graces dance unto the rest;
For they can do it best:
The whiles the maidens do their carol sing,
To which the woods shall answer and their echo ring.
[Edmund Spenser, Epithalmion, 204-260]
****
Lucky bridegroom,
the marriage you have prayed for has come to pass
and the bride you dreamed of is yours ...
Beautiful bride,
to look at you gives joy; your eyes are like honey,
love flows over your gentle face ...
Aphrodite
has honoured you above all others
[Sappho, translated by Josephine Balmer]
****
Raise up the rooftop
(shout Hymen!)
higher carpenters,
(shout Hymen!)
here comes the bridegroom, Ares' equal
and taller than the tallest giant
[Sappho, translated by Josephine Balmer]
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