We last left luckless in love Thomas Campion shivering outside his beloved’s door, and here we find him once again making his bid for a place beside Wyatt and Donne when it comes to eloquent bitterness on the theme of being dumped.

When Thou must Home to Shades of Underground

When thou must home to shades of underground,
And there arriv’d, a new admired guest,
The beauteous spirits do engirt thee round,
White Iope, blithe Helen, and the rest,
To hear the stories of thy finish’d love
From that smooth tongue whose music hell can move;

Then wilt thou speak of banqueting delights,
Of masques and revels which sweet youth did make,
Of tourneys and great challenges of knights,
And all these triumphs for thy beauty’s sake:
When thou hast told these honours done to thee,
Then tell, O tell, how thou didst murder me.

Thomas Campion