 | Born: 1562 // Died: 1619
 Daniel's first book, Delia, was praised by Edmund Spenser in his Colin Clouts Come Home Again. He went on to become a successful court poet, writing occasional verses and dramatic entertainments. In 1604 Queen Anne commissioned a masque from him, The Vision of the Twelve Goddesses, and took part in the performance.Later that year he was in trouble for his tragedy Philotas, which was thought to represent the Earl of Essex's 1600 rebellion in a sympathetic light. Daniel prefaced the printed version of the play with an ' Apology' and was restored to favour. Towards the end of his life, he retired to his farm in Somerset.
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Ulysses and the Siren
SIREN:
Come worthy Greek, Ulysses, come,
Possess these shores with me;
The winds and seas are troublesome,
And here we may be free.
Here may we sit and view their toil
That travail in the deep,
And joy the day in mirth the while,
And spend the night in sleep.
ULYSSES:
Fair nymph, if fame or honour were
To be attain'd with ease,
Then would I come and rest me there,
And leave such toils as these.
But here it dwells, and here must I
With danger seek it forth;
To spend the time luxuriously
Becomes not men of worth.
SIREN:
Ulysses, O be not deceiv'd
With that unreal name;
This honour is a thing conceiv'd
And rests on others' fame.
Begotten only to molest
Our peace, and to beguile
The best thing of our life, our rest,
And give us up to toil.
ULYSSES:
Delicious nymph, suppose there were
Nor honour nor report,
Yet manliness would scorn to wear
The time in idle sport.
For toil doth give a better touch,
To make us feel our joy;
And ease finds tediousness as much
As labour yields annoy.
SIREN:
Then pleasure likewise seems the shore
Whereto tends all your toil,
Which you forgo to make it more,
And perish oft the while.
Who may disport them diversly,
Find never tedious day,
And ease may have variety
As well as action may.
ULYSSES:
But natures of the noblest frame
These toils and dangers please,
And they take comfort in the same
As much as you in ease,
And with the thoughts of actions past
Are recreated still;
When pleasure leaves a touch at last
To show that it was ill.
SIREN:
That doth opinion only cause
That's out of custom bred,
Which makes us many other laws
Than ever nature did.
No widows wail for our delights,
Our sports are without blood;
The world we see by warlike wights
Receives more hurt than good.
ULYSSES:
But yet the state of things require
These motions of unrest,
And these great spirits of high desire
Seem born to turn them best,
To purge the mischiefs that increase
And all good order mar;
For oft we see a wicked peace
To be well chang'd for war.
SIREN:
Well, well, Ulysses, then I see
I shall not have thee here,
And therefore I will come to thee
And take my fortunes there.
I must be won that cannot win,
Yet lost were I not won;
For beauty hath created been
T' undo, or be undone.
by Samuel Daniel
Why Should I Sing in Verse
Why should I sing in verse, why should I frame
These sad neglected notes for her dear sake?
Why should I offer up unto her name
The sweetest sacrifice my youth can make?
Why should I strive to make her live forever,
That never deigns to give me joy to live?
Why should m'afflicted muse so much endeavor
Such honor unto cruelty to give?
If her defects have purchased her this fame,
What should her virtues do, her smiles, her love?
If this her worst, how should her best inflame?
What passions would her milder favors move?
Favors, I think, would sense quite overcome,
And that makes happy lovers ever dumb
by Samuel Daniel
Most Fair and Lovely Maid, Look from the Shore
Most fair and lovely maid, look from the shore,
See thy Leander striving in these waves,
Poor soul, quite spent, whose force can do no more;
Now send forth hope, for now calm pity saves,
And waft him to thee with these lovely eyes,
A happy convoy to a holy land.
Now show thy power and where thy virtue lies;
To save thine own, stretch out the fairest hand.
Stretch out the fairest hand, a pledge of peace,
That hand that darts so right and never misses;
I shall forget old wrongs, my griefs shall cease;
And that which gave me wounds, I'll give it kisses,
Once let the ocean of my cares find shore,
That thou be pleased, and I may sigh no more.
by Samuel Daniel
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Source:
Samuel Daniel, Certaine small poems lately printed: with the tragedie of Philotas (G. Eld for S. Waterson, 1605). STC 6239. First Publication Date: 1605. |  |
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