Katherine Philips (1631-1664)
Epitaph on her Son H. P. at St. Syth's Church Wher Her Body Also Lies Interred
1What on Earth deserves our trust ?
2Youth and Beauty both are dust.
3Long we gathering are with pain,
4What one moment calls again.
5Seven years childless, marriage past,
6A Son, a son is born at last :
7So exactly lim'd and fair.
8Full of good Spirits, Meen, and Air,
9As a long life promised,
10Yet, in less than six weeks dead.
11Too promising, too great a mind
12In so small room to be confin'd :
13Therefore, as fit in Heav'n to dwell,
14He quickly broke the Prison shell.
15So the subtle Alchimist,
16Can't with Hermes Seal resist
17The powerful spirit's subtler flight,
18But t'will bid him long good night.
19And so the Sun if it arise
20Half so glorious as his Eyes,
21Like this Infant, takes a shrowd,
22Buried in a morning Cloud.
Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: Katherine Philips, Poems (1667): 134; A Facsimile Reproduction with an Introduction by Travis Dupriest (Delmar, New York: Scholars' Facsimiles and Reprints, 1992). PR 3619 P4P64 1992. E-10 4168 Fisher Rare Book Library
First publication date:
1667
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: RPO 1996-2000.
Recent editing: 2:2002/2/6
Form: couplets
Other poems by Katherine Philips
