Poem by Michael Drayton

Sonnet 60. Define my Weal

Define my weal, and tell the joys of Heav'n;
Express my woes, and show the pains of Hell;
Declare what fate unlucky stars have giv'n,
And ask a world upon my life to dwell;
Make known the faith that Fortune could not move;
Compare myu worth with others' base desert;
Let virtue be the touchstone of my love,
So may the heav'ns read wonders in my heart;
Behold the clouds which have eclips'd my sun,
And view the crosses which my course do let;
Tell me if ever since the world begun
So fair a rising had so foul a set,
    And see if Time (if he would strive to prove) 
    Can show a second to so pure a love.

1. Sonnet 23. Love, Banish'd Heav'n
2. Sonnet 36. Thou Purblind Boy
3. Sonnet 45. Muses, which Sadly Sit about My Chair
4. Sonnet 16. Mongst all the Creatures in this Spacious Round
5. Sonnet 42. Some Men there Be which like My Method Well

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