A poem by John Davies of Hereford: "The author loving these homely meats..."

The author loving these homely meats specially,

Viz: cream, pancakes, buttered pippin-pies

(laugh, good people) and tobacco; writ to

That worthy and virtuous gentlewoman,

Whom he call mistress, as followeth

If there were, oh! An Hellespont of cream

Between us, milk-white mistress, I would swim

To you, to show both my love's extreme,

Leander-like, -yea! Dive from brim to brim.

But met I with a buttered pippin-pie

Floating upon't, that I would make my boat

To waft me to you without jeopardy,

Though sea-sick I might be while it did float.

Yet if a storm should rise, by night or day,

Of sugar-snows and hail of caraways,

Then, if I found a pancake in my way,

It like a plank should bring me to your kays;

Which having found' if they tobacco kept,

The smoke ahould dry me well before I slept

JOHN DAVIES OF HEREFORD

(c1565 - July 1618)

J.D. chillaxing with a quill (quillaxing?) before laying down some phat Anglo-Welsh poetry

I think "The author loving these homely meats..." may well be my favourite poem. I discovered it in a neglected anthology of comic verse in the library of my alma mater, The Ecclesbourne School. I adore the idea of a love-struck young fellow having to complete a food-based obstacle course (a sort of early 17th century Krypton Factor) to be with his lady. It conjures up such delightful imagery "of sugar-snows and hail of caraways", although the "pippin-pie" is a bit unnerving - my daughter's hamster is called Pippin (his full name is Pip Nibbleton).

B.R. 21/05/2012