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Now th’ Ayre is sweeter then sweet Balme, And Satires daunce about the Palme, Now earth with verdure newly dight, (10) Giues perfect signes of her delight.

O beauteous Queene, &c.

Now birds record new harmonie, And trees doo whistle melodie, Now euery thing that Nature breedes, (15) Dooth clad it selfe in pleasant weedes.

O beauteous Queene, &c.

FINIS. Tho. Watson.

¶ Colin Cloutes mournfull Dittie for the death
of Astrophell. +printed as the ‘Proem’ to Astrophel. A Pastorall Elegie vpon the death of the most Noble and valorous Knight, Sir Philip Sidney’ published alongside Colin Clouts Come Home Again (1595), sig. E3; Spenser, Shorter Poems , p. 373. ‘Colin Clout’ is the pastoral persona adopted by Spenser. Author: Edmund Spenser. Structure (May/Ringler): 18: 3×6 sx

S Heepheards that wuntwont, accustomed  on pipes of Oaten reedeshepherd’s pipe,                         traditional pastoral instrument , Oft-times to plainelament  your loues concealed smart; And with your pitteous Layesshort lyric poems intended to be sung  haue learn’d to breedegenerate Compassion in a Country-Lasses hart:  Harken ye gentle Sheepheards to my song, And place my dolefull plaintsorrowful lament  your plaints among. 

To you alone I sing this mournfull verse, The mournfulst verse that euer man heard tell: To you whose softned harts it may empierse  With dolours dartpiercing pain of sorrow  for death of  Astrophell. To you I sing, and to none other wightperson : For well I wot, my rimes been rudely dight. 

Yet as they been, if any nicer witShall hap to heare, or couet them to reade: (15) Thinke he, that such are for such ones most fit,