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
Almighty Jove augment your wealthy store,
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 clofe, with folded arms, and breaft to breaft:
Rife in the morn; but oh! before you rife,
Forget not to pefrorm 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.
From the 23d Idyllium of THEOCRITUS.
ITH Inaufpicious love, a wretched fwain
Purfued the fairest nymph of all the plain ;
Faireft indeed, but prouder far than fair,
She plung'd him hopelefs in a deep defpair :
Her heavenly form too haughtily the priz'd,
His perfon hated, and his gifts defpis'd;
Nor knew the force of Cupid's cruel darts,
Nor fear'd his awful power on human hearts;
But either from her hopeless lover fled,
Or with difdainful glances fhot him dead.
No kifs, no look, to cheer the drooping boy;
No word the spoke, she scorn'dev'n to deny.
But, as a hunted panther cafts about
Her glaring eyes, and pricks her liftening 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 sparkle fires to love unknown :
Her fallow cheeks her envious mind did fhew,
And every feature spoke aloud the curftness of a fhrew. Yet could not he his obvious fate escape:
His love ftill drefs'd her in a pleasing 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 so 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 shew'st thy pedigree from stone:
Thy granddame's was the first 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 strife
Betwixt my lingering love and loathfome life:
This moment puts an end to all my pain;
I fhall no more defpair, nor thou difdain.
Farewell, 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 love:
There happily to lofe my long defires :
But ah! what draught fo deep to quench my
Farewell, 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 shall do, the Gods and I can tell.
The rofe is fragrant, but it fades in time;
The violet fweet, but quickly past the prime;
White lilies hang their heads, and soon decay,
And whiter fnow in minutes melts away :
Such is your blooming youth, and withering fo :
The time will come, it will, when you shall know
The rage of love; your haughty heart shall 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.
When first 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, survey:
Some cruel pleasure will from thence arise,
To view the mighty ravage of your eyes.
I wish (but oh! my wish 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 restore my breath;
Ev'n you are not more pityless than death.
Then for my corpfe a homely grave provide,
Which love and me from public fcorn may hide.
3
Thrice call upon my name, thrice beat your breast,
And hail me thrice to everlasting rest:
Laft let my tomb this sad inscription 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 labour of a team)
And rais'd from thence he reach'd the neighbouring
Around its bulk a sliding knot he throws,
And fitted to his neck the fatal noose :
Then fpurning backward took a swing, 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 she past, her chance or fate was such,
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 threatening from a pedestal on high:
Nodding a while, and watchful of his blow,
He fell; and falling crush'd th' ungrateful nymph below:
Her gushing blood the pavement all besmear'd ;
And this her last expiring voice was heard;
Lovers farewell, revenge has reach'd my fcorn;
Thus warn'd, be wife, and love for love return.
TRANS
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