| I LOVED thee once; I'll love no more— | |
| Thine be the grief as is the blame; | |
| Thou art not what thou wast before, | |
| What reason I should be the same? | |
| He that can love unloved again, | 5 |
| Hath better store of love than brain: | |
| God send me love my debts to pay, | |
| While unthrifts fool their love away! | |
| |
| Nothing could have my love o'erthrown | |
| If thou hadst still continued mine; | 10 |
| Yea, if thou hadst remain'd thy own, | |
| I might perchance have yet been thine. | |
| But thou thy freedom didst recall | |
| That it thou might elsewhere enthral: | |
| And then how could I but disdain | 15 |
| A captive's captive to remain? | |
| |
| When new desires had conquer'd thee | |
| And changed the object of thy will, | |
| It had been lethargy in me, | |
| Not constancy, to love thee still. | 20 |
| Yea, it had been a sin to go | |
| And prostitute affection so: | |
| Since we are taught no prayers to say | |
| To such as must to others pray. | |
| |
| Yet do thou glory in thy choice— | 25 |
| Thy choice of his good fortune boast; | |
| I'll neither grieve nor yet rejoice | |
| To see him gain what I have lost: | |
| The height of my disdain shall be | |
| To laugh at him, to blush for thee; | 30 |
| To love thee still, but go no more | |
| A-begging at a beggar's door. | |
