Poem of the Week: The Lover’s Maze, attributed to Sir Walter Ralegh

The circling, breathless account of infatuation provides an elegant set of puzzles for the reader

Love lost? ... the maze at Longleat House, Wiltshire. Photograph: Jason Hawkes/PA

Carol Rumens

Monday 6 April 2015 - The Guardian

The Lover’s Maze
Her Face, her Tonge, her Wytte,
So fayre, so sweete, so sharpe,
First bent, then drew, then hytte,
Myne Eye, mine Eare, my Hartt:

Myne eye, mine eare, mine Harte,
To Lyke, to Learne, to Love,
Your face, your Tonge, your Wytt,
Doth Leade, doth teache, doth move:

Her face, her Tongue, her Wytt,
With Beames, with Sound, with Arte,
Doth bynde, doth Charm, doth Rule,
Myne eye, myne eare, my harte.

Myne eye, myne eare, my harte,
With Lyfe, with Hope, with Skill,
Your face, your Tonge, your wytt,
Doth feed, doth feast, doth fill:

Oh face, Oh Tonge, Oh Wytte,
With Frownes, with Checkes, with Smarte,
Wronge not, vex not, wound not,
Mine eye, mine eare, my Harte.

This Eye, This eare, This harte,
Shall joy, shall bynd, shall sweare
Your Face, your Tonge, your Wytt,
To Serve, to Love, to Feare.

It’s uncertain whether The Lover’s Maze was actually written by Ralegh, and the title is very unlikely to have been his. Still, it was a clever choice by whoever made the copy, neatly suited to the poem’s structure. The syntax is a sort of maze and perhaps it’s useful for the reader to have a hint from the title of the unusual pathways lying ahead.
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