HIDDEN FLAME

by: John Dryden

FEED a flame within, which so torments me

That it both pains my heart, and yet contains me:

'Tis such a pleasing smart, and I so love it,

That I had rather die than once remove it.

 

Yet he, for whom I grieve, shall never know it;

My tongue does not betray, nor my eyes show it.

Not a sigh, nor a tear, my pain discloses,

But they fall silently, like dew on roses.

 

Thus, to prevent my Love from being cruel,

My heart's the sacrifice, as 'tis the fuel;

And while I suffer this to give him quiet,

My faith rewards my love, though he deny it.

 

On his eyes will I gaze, and there delight me;

While I conceal my love no frown can fright me.

To be more happy I dare not aspire,

Nor can I fall more low, mounting no higher.

• John Dryden - A biography of the Restoration dramatist.
• John Dryden (1631-1700) - A biography of the Restoration dramatist.
• Restoration Drama - An overview of Restoration theatre; includes information on the appearance of women on the English stage, the persistance of Elizabethan plays, parody of heroic drama, the nature of Restoration comedy, women playwrights, and Collier's attack on the stage.
• Purchase books by John Dryden