O fair, O graceful! yet with maids inroll'd,
But whom to-morrow's fun a matron shall behold!
Yet ere to-morrow's fun fhall fhew his head,
The dewy paths of meadows we will tread,
For crowns and chaplets to adorn thy head.
Where all shall weep, and wish for thy return,
As bleating lambs their abfent mother mourn.
Our noblest maids fhall to thy name bequeath
The boughs of Lotos, form'd into a wreath.
This monument, thy maiden beauties due,
High on a plane-tree shall be hung to view :
On the smooth rind the passenger shall fee
Thy name engrav'd, and worship Helen's tree:
Balm, from a silver-box diftill'd around,
Shall all bedew the roots, and fcent the facred ground.
The balm, 'tis true, can aged plants prolong,
But Helen's name will keep it ever young.
Hail bride, hail bridegroom, fon-in-law to Jove!
With fruitful joys Latona bless your love;
Let Venus furnish you with full defires,
Add vigour to your wills, and fuel to your fires
Almighty Jove augment your wealthy ftore,
Give much to you, and to his grandfons more.
From generous loins a generous race will spring,
Each girl, like her, a queen; each boy like you, a king,
Now fleep, if fleep you can; but while you reft,
Sleep close, with folded arms, and breast to breaft:
Rife in the morn; but oh! before you rife,
Forget not to perform your morning facrifice.
We will be with you ere the crowing cock
Salutes the light, and ftruts before his feather'd flock.
Hymen, oh Hymen, to thy triumphs run,
And view the mighty fpoils thou haft in battle won.
The DESPAIRING LOVER, from the 23d Idyllium of THEOCRITUS.
WITH inaufpicious love, a wretched fivain
Purfu'd the fairest nymph of all the plain ;
Faireft indeed, but prouder far than fair,
She plung'd him hopeless in a deep defpair:
Her heav'nly form too haughtily fhe priz'd,
His perfon hated, and his gifts despis'd;
Nor knew the force of Cupid's cruel darts,
Nor fear'd his awful pow'r on human hearts;
But either from her hopeless lover fled,
Or with disdainful glances fhot him dead.
No kifs, no look, to cheer the drooping boy;
No word fhe spoke, fhe fcorn'd ev'n to deny.
But, as a hunted panther cafts about
Her glaring eyes and pricks her lift'ning ears to scout,
So fhe, to fhun his toils, her cares employ'd,
And fiercely in her favage freedom joy'd.
Her mouth fhe writh'd, her forehead taught to frown, Her eyes to fparkle fires to love unknown:
Her fallow cheeks her envious mind did fhew,
And ev'ry feature spoke aloud the curftness of a fhrew,
Yet could not he his obvious fate escape;
His love ftill drefs'd her in a pleafing shape;
And every fullen frown, and bitter fcorn
But fann'd the fuel that too faft did burn.
Long time, unequal to his mighty pain,
He ftrove to curb it, but he ftrove in vain :
At laft his woes broke out, and begg'd relief
With tears, the dumb petitioners of grief:
With tears fo tender, as adorn'd his love,
And any heart, but only hers, would move.
Trembling before her bolted doors he stood,
And there pour'd out th' unprofitable flood:
Staring his eyes, and haggard was his look;
Then, kiffing firft the threshold, thus he spoke.
Ah nymph, more cruel than of human race!
Thy tigrefs heart belies thy angel face:
Too well thou fhew'ft thy pedigree from ftone :
Thy grandame's was the firft by Pyrrha thrown;
Unworthy thou to be fo long defir'd;
But fo my love, and fo my fate requir'd.
I beg not now (for 'tis in vain), to live ;
But take this gift, the last that I can give.
This friendly cord fhall foon decide the ftrife
Betwixt my ling'ring love and loathfome life:
This moment puts an end to all my pain;
I shall no more despair, nor thou disdain.
Farewel, ungrateful and unkind! I go
Condemn'd by thee to thofe fad fhades below.
I go th' extremeft remedy to prove,
To drink oblivion, and to drench my
There happily to lofe my long defires:
But ah! what draught fo deep to quench my fires?
Farewel ye never-opening gates, ye ftones,
And threshold guilty of my midnight moans.
What I have fuffer'd here ye know too well;
What I fhall do the Gods and I can tell.
The role is fragrant, but it fades in time;
The violet sweet, but quickly past the prime ;
White lillies hang their heads and foon decay,
And whiter fnow in minutes melts away :.
Such is your blooming youth, and withering fo:
The time will come, it will, when you fhall know
The rage of love; your haughty heart fhall burn
In flames like mine, and meet a like return.
Obdurate as you are, oh! hear at least
My dying prayers, and grant my last request.
VOL. II.
When firft you ope your doors, and paffing by
The fad ill-omen'd object meets your eye,
Think it not loft, a moment if you stay;
The breathlefs wretch, fo made by you, furvey:
Some cruel pleasure will from thence arise,
To view the mighty ravage of your eyes.
I wish (but oh! my wifh is vain, I fear)
The kind oblation of a falling tear:
Then loose the knot, and take me from the place,
And spread your mantle o'er my grizly face;
Upon my livid lips beftow a kifs:
O envy not the dead, they feel not blifs!
Nor fear your kiffes can reftore my breath ;
Even you are not more pitylefs than death.
Then for my corps a homely grave provide,
Which love and me from public fcorn may hide.
Thrice call upon my name, thrice beat your breaft,
And hail me thrice to everlafting reft:
Laft let my tomb this fad infcription bear:
A wretch whom love has kill'd lies buried here; O paffengers, Aminta's eyes beware.
Thus having faid, and furious with his love, He heav'd with more than human force to move A weighty ftone (the labor of a team)
And rais'd from thence he reach'd the neighbouring beam:
Around its bulk a fliding knot he throws,
And fitted to his neck the fatal noofe:
Then spurning backward took a fwing, till death.
Crept up, and ftopt the paffage of his breath.
The bounce burft ope the door; the fcornful fair
Relentless look'd, and faw him beat his quivering feet in air;
Nor wept his fate, nor caft a pitying eye,
Nor took him down, but brush'd regardless by:
And, as the paft, her chance of fate was fuch,
Her garments touch'd the dead, polluted by the touch:
Next to the dance, thence to the bath did move;
The bath was facred to the God of love;
Whofe injur'd image, with a wrathful eye,
Stood threatning from a pedestal on high :
Nodding a while, and watchful of his blow,
He fell; and falling crush'd th' ungrateful nymph below:
Her gufhing blood the pavement all besmear'd;
And this her laft expiring voice was heard;
Lovers farewel, revenge has reach'd my scorn;
Thus warn'd, be wife, and love for love return.
From the Twenty-feventh IDYLLIUM of THEOCRITUS.
HE fhepherd Paris bore the Spartan bride
By force away, and then by force enjoy'd;
But I by free confent can boaft a bliss,
A fairer Helen, and a sweeter kiss.
Kiffes are empty joys, and foon are o'er.
A kifs betwixt the lips is fomething more.
I wipe my mouth, and where's your kiffing then?'
I fwear you wipe it to be kifs'd agen.
Go, tend your herd, and kifs your cows at home; I am a maid, and in my beauty's bloom.
'Tis well remember'd, do not waste your time; But wifely use it ere you pafs your prime.
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