Page:The New Life (Rossetti 1899) Siddal ed.djvu/60

54

And if with her thy pleading should prevail,

Let her look on him and give peace to him."

Gentle my Song, if good to thee it seem,

Do this: so worship shall be thine and love.

''This ditty is divided into three parts. In the first, I tell it whither to go, and I encourage it, that it may go the more confidently, and I tell it whose company to join if it would go with confidence and without any danger. In the second, I say that which it behoves the ditty to set forth. In the third, I give it leave to start when it pleases, recommending its course to the arms of Fortune. The second part begins here, "With a sweet accent;" the third here, "Gentle my Song." Some might contradict me, and say that they understand not whom I address in the second person, seeing that the ditty is merely the very words I am speaking. And therefore I say that this doubt I intend to solve and clear up in ''