Thou Blind Man's Mark

Sir Philip Sidney

Thou blind man's mark, thou fool's self chosen snare,
Fond fancy's scum, and dregs of scatter'd thought,
Band of all evils, cradle of causeless care,
Thou web of will,whose end is never wrought.

Desire, desire I have too dearly bought,
With price of mangled mind thy worthless ware,
Too long, too long asleep thou hast me brought,
Who should my mind to higher things prepare.

But yet in vain thou hast my ruin sought,
In vain thou madest me to vain things aspire,
In vain thou kindlest all thy smoky fire.

For virtue hath this better lesson taught,
Within myself to seek my only hire:
Desiring nought but how to kill desire. 

Next 10 Poems

• Sir Philip Sidney : To The Sad Moon
• Sir Philip Sidney : To The Tune Of A Neapolitan Villanel
• Sir Philip Sidney : Translation From Horace, Book Ii. Ode X., Beginning 'rectius Vives, Licini,' &c.
• Sir Philip Sidney : Two Pastorals
• Sir Philip Sidney : Verses
• Sir Philip Sidney : Verses ( No, No, No, No )
• Sir Philip Sidney : Virtue, Beauty, And Speech, Did Strike, Wound, Charm
• Sir Philip Sidney : Voices At The Window
• Sir Philip Sidney : When Love Puffed Up With Rage Of High Disdain
• Sir Philip Sidney : Wooing-stuff

Previous 10 Poems

• Sir Philip Sidney : This Lady's Cruelty
• Sir Philip Sidney : The Smokes Of Melancholy
• Sir Philip Sidney : The Seven Wonders Of England
• Sir Philip Sidney : The Highway
• Sir Philip Sidney : The Dart, The Beams, The Sting, So Strong I Prove
• Sir Philip Sidney : The Bargain
• Sir Philip Sidney : Stanzas To Love
• Sir Philip Sidney : Splendidis Longum Valedico Nugis
• Sir Philip Sidney : Sonnet Xxxix: Come, Sleep!
• Sir Philip Sidney : Sonnet Xxxiii: I Might