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Campion, Thomas: Think'st thou to seduce me then

Portre of Campion, Thomas

Think'st thou to seduce me then (English)

THINK’ST[1] thou to seduce me then with words that have no meaning?
Parrots so can learn to prate, our speech by pieces gleaning:
Nurses teach their children so about the time of weaning.

Learn to speak first, then to woo: to wooing much pertaineth:
He that courts us, wanting art, soon falters when he feigneth,
Looks asquint on his discourse and smiles when he complaineth.

Skilful anglers hide their hooks, fit baits for every season;
But with crooked pins fish thou, as babes do that want reason:
Gudgeons only can be caught with such poor tricks of treason.

Ruth forgive me (if I erred) from human heart’s compassion,
 When I laughed sometimes too much to see thy foolish fashion:
But alas, who less could do that found so good occasion?



[1] From Campion’s Fourth Book of Airs, 1617. There is another version of this song given in William Corkine’s Airs, 1610, with only three stanzas; for this version see Works of Thomas Campion, Bullen ed., 1891, p. 286



Uploaded byRépás Norbert
Source of the quotationbartleby.com

Myslíš azda, že ma ulovíš (Slovak)

MYSLÍŠ azda, že ma ulovíš nezmyselnými slovami?
Sojka zavše kdečo povie, popasovala by sa aj s ľapotami:
Dojčatá, aj keď ich odstavia, obrnia sa bystrosťami.

Najskôr reč ovládať, potom dvoriť: k pytačkám spojitosti:
Ten, kto po umení baží, hoc neumí, uviazne, než sa zhostí,
Škúli po svojich rozhovoroch, s úsmevom poklesnutosti.

Zručne by rybár háčik skryl návnadou podľa každej doby;
Ty ohnutým drôtom chytáš ryby sťa dieťa, ktoré chce dôvody:
Len ľahkoverný ti naletí na také chabé, zradné podvody.

Ruth, súcitom ľudského srdca mi prepáč neokresanosti,
Ak ma občas príliš usmiali tvoje módne choromyseľnosti:
Ale žiaľ, komu by sa naskytli takéto dobré príležitosti?



Uploaded byRépás Norbert
Source of the quotationtranslator

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