John Dryden (1631-1700)
The Secular Masque
Enter JANUS
JANUS
1Chronos, Chronos, mend thy pace,
2An hundred times the rolling sun
3Around the radiant belt has run
4In his revolving race.
5Behold, behold, the goal in sight,
6Spread thy fans, and wing thy flight.
Enter CHRONOS, with a scythe in his hand, and a great globe on his back, which he sets down at his entrance
CHRONOS
7Weary, weary of my weight,
8Let me, let me drop my freight,
9And leave the world behind.
10I could not bear
11Another year
12The load of human-kind.
Enter MOMUS Laughing
MOMUS
13Ha! ha! ha! Ha! ha! ha! well hast thou done,
14 To lay down thy pack,
15 And lighten thy back.
16The world was a fool, e'er since it begun,
17And since neither Janus, nor Chronos, nor I,
18 Can hinder the crimes,
19 Or mend the bad times,
20'Tis better to laugh than to cry.
CHORUS OF ALL THREE
21 'Tis better to laugh than to cry
JANUS
22Since Momus comes to laugh below,
23 Old Time begin the show,
24That he may see, in every scene,
25What changes in this age have been,
CHRONOS
26Then Goddess of the silver bow begin.
Horns, or hunting-music within
DIANA
27With horns and with hounds I waken the day,
28And hie to my woodland walks away;
29I tuck up my robe, and am buskin'd soon,
30And tie to my forehead a waxing moon.
31I course the fleet stag, unkennel the fox,
32And chase the wild goats o'er summits of rocks,
33With shouting and hooting we pierce thro' the sky;
34And Echo turns hunter, and doubles the cry.
CHORUS OF ALL
35 With shouting and hooting, we pierce through the sky,
36 And Echo turns hunter, and doubles the cry.
JANUS
37Then our age was in its prime,
CHRONOS
38Free from rage,
DIANA
39--And free from crime.
MOMUS
40A very merry, dancing, drinking,
41Laughing, quaffing, and unthinking time.
CHORUS OF ALL
42Then our age was in its prime,
43Free from rage, and free from crime,
44A very merry, dancing, drinking,
45Laughing, quaffing, and unthinking time.
Dance of Diana's attendants
MARS
46Inspire the vocal brass, inspire;
47The world is past its infant age:
48 Arms and honour,
49 Arms and honour,
50Set the martial mind on fire,
51And kindle manly rage.
52 Mars has look'd the sky to red;
53And peace, the lazy good, is fled.
54Plenty, peace, and pleasure fly;
55 The sprightly green
56In woodland-walks, no more is seen;
57The sprightly green, has drunk the Tyrian dye.
CHORUS OF ALL
58 Plenty, peace, |&|c.
MARS
59Sound the trumpet, beat the drum,
60 Through all the world around;
61Sound a reveille, sound, sound,
62The warrior god is come.
CHORUS OF ALL
63 Sound the trumpet, |&|c.
MOMUS
64Thy sword within the scabbard keep,
65 And let mankind agree;
66Better the world were fast asleep,
67 Than kept awake by thee.
68The fools are only thinner,
69 With all our cost and care;
70But neither side a winner,
71 For things are as they were.
CHORUS OF ALL
72 The fools are only, |&|c.
Enter VENUS
VENUS
73Calms appear, when storms are past;
74Love will have his hour at last:
75Nature is my kindly care;
76Mars destroys, and I repair;
77Take me, take me, while you may,
78Venus comes not ev'ry day.
CHORUS OF ALL
79Take her, take her, |&|c.
CHRONOS
80The world was then so light,
81I scarcely felt the weight;
82Joy rul'd the day, and love the night.
83But since the Queen of Pleasure left the ground,
84 I faint, I lag,
85 And feebly drag
86The pond'rous Orb around.
87All, all of a piece throughout;
pointing {}} to Diana {}}
MOMUS,
88Thy chase had a beast in view;
to Mars
89Thy wars brought nothing about;
to Venus
90Thy lovers were all untrue.
JANUS
91'Tis well an old age is out,
92And time to begin a new.
CHORUS OF ALL
93All, all of a piece throughout;
94Thy chase had a beast in view;
95Thy wars brought nothing about;
96Thy lovers were all untrue.
97'Tis well an old age is out,
98And time to begin a new.
Dance of huntsmen, nymphs, warriors, and lovers.
Notes
1] This was Dryden's first work and was published in the month before his death. It was written to be performed as an afterpiece to an adaptation of John Fletcher's The Pilgrim. The "secular" of the title alludes to the date (the end of the century) and also to the theme.
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: John Dryden, Poetry, Prose, and Plays, ed. Douglas Grant (Reynard Library edition: Hart-Davis, 1952). PR 3412 G7 1952 ROBA.
First publication date:
1700
RPO poem editor: G. G. Falle
RP edition: 3RP 2.52-54.
Recent editing: 4:2002/3/26*4:2002/3/26
Form: Masque
Other poems by John Dryden
