A Sweet Contention between Love, his Mistress, and Beauty

Love and my mistress were at strife         Who had the greatest power on me:     Betwixt them both, oh, what a life!         Nay, what a death is this to be!     She said, she did it with her eye;         He said, he did it with his dart;     Betwixt them both (a silly wretch!)         'Tis I that have the wounded heart.     She said, she only spake the word         That did enchant my peering sense;     He said, he only gave the sound         That enter'd heart without defence.     She said, her beauty was the mark         That did amaze the highest mind;     He said, he only made the mist         Whereby the senses grew so blind.     She said, that only for her sake,         The best would venture life and limb:     He said, she was too much deceiv'd;         They honour'd her because of him.     Long while, alas, she would not yield,         But it was she that rul'd the roost;[1]     Until by proof, she did confess,         If he were gone, her joy was lost.     And then she cried, "Oh, dainty love,         I now do find it is for thee,     That I am lov'd and honour'd both,         And thou hast power to conquer me."     But, when I heard her yield to love,         Oh! how my heart did leap for joy!     That now I had some little hope         To have an end to mine annoy!     But, as too soon, before the field         The trumpets sound the overthrow,     So all too soon I joy'd too much,         For I awaked, and nothing saw.[2]     [Note 1: The original had 'roast']     [Footnote 2: Ellis reads so.]