But who can paint the lover, as he stood,
Pierc'd by fevere amazement, hating life,
Speechlefs, and fix'd in all the death of woe!
So, faint resemblance, on the marble tomb,
The well-diffembled mourner stooping stands,
For ever filent, and for ever fad.
As from the face of heaven the fhatter'd clouds
Tumultuous rove, th' interminable sky
Sublimer fwells, and o'er the world expands
A purer azure. Nature, from the storm,
Shines out afresh; and thro' the lighten'd air
A higher luftre and a clearer calm,
Diffufive, tremble; while, as if in fign.
Of danger paft, a glittering robe of joy,
Set off abundant by the yellow ray,
Invefts the fields, yet dropping from diftrefs.
'Tis beauty all, and grateful fong around, Join'd to the low of kine, and numerous bleat Of flocks thick-nibbling thro' the clover'd vale. 1235 And shall the hymn be marr'd by thankless Man, Moft-favour'd; who with voice articulate
Should lead the chorus of this lower world?
Shall he, fo foon forgetful of the hand
That hush'd the thunder, and ferenes the fky, 1240
Extinguish'd feel that spark the tempeft wak'd,
That fenfe of powers exceeding far his own,
Ere yet his feeble heart has loft its fears?
CHEAR'D by the milder beam, the fprightly youth Speeds to the well-known pool, whose crystal depth A fandy bottom shews. A while he stands Gazing th' inverted landskip, half afraid To meditate the blue profound below; Then plunges headlong down the circling flood. His ebon treffes, and his rofy cheek
Inftant emerge; and thro' th' obedient wave,
At each short breathing by his lip repell'd,
With arms and legs according well, he makes,
As humour leads, an eafy winding path;
While, from his polifh'd fides, a dewy light 1255
Effufes on the pleas'd spectators round.
THIS is the pureft exercise of health, The kind refresher of the fummer-heats; Nor, when cold Winter keens the brightening flood, Would I weak-fhivering linger on the brink. Thus life redoubles, and is oft preferv'd, By the bold swimmer, in the fwift illapfe Of accident difaftrous. Hence the limbs Knit into force; and the fame Roman arm, That rofe victorious o'er the conquer'd earth, First learn'd, while tender, to fubdue the wave.
Even, from the body's purity, the mind
Receives a fecret fympathetic aid.
CLOSE in the covert of an hazle copfe, Where winded into pleafing folitudes
Runs out the rambling dale, young DAMON fat,
Penfive, and pierc'd with love's delightful pangs.
There to the ftream that down the diftant rocks
Hoarse-murmuring fell, and plaintive breeze that play'd
Among the bending willows, falfely he
Of MUSIDOR A's cruelty complain'd.
She felt his flame; but deep within her breast,
In bashful coynefs, or in maiden pride,
The foft return conceal'd; fave when it ftole
In fide-long glances from her downcaft eye,
Or from her fwelling foul in ftifled fighs.
Touch'd by the fcene, no firanger to his vows,
He fram'd a melting lay, to try her heart;
And, if an infant paffion ftruggled there,
To call that paffion forth. Thrice happy fwain! 1285
A lucky chance, that oft decides the fate
Of mighty monarchs, then decided thine.
For lo conducted by the laughing Loves,
This cool retreat his MUSIDOR A sought:
Warm in her cheek the fultry feafon glow'd; 1290
And, robe'd in loofe array, fhe came to bathe
Her fervent limbs in the refreshing stream.
What fhall he do? In fweet confufion loft,
And dubious flutterings, he a while remain'd:
A pure ingenuous elegance of foul,
A delicate refinement, known to few,
Perplex'd his breaft, and urg'd him to retire :
But love forbade. Ye prudes in virtue, fay,
Say, ye fevereft, what would you have done ?
Meantime, this fairer nymph than ever bleft 1300
Arcadian ftream, with timid eye around
The banks furveying, ftrip'd her beauteous limbs,
To tafte the lucid coolnefs of the flood.
Ah then! not Paris on the piny top
Of Ida panted stronger, when afide
The rival-goddesses the veil divine
Caft unconfin'd, and gave him all their charms,
Than, DAMON, thou; as from the fnowy leg,
And flender foot, th' inverted filk fhe drew;
As the foft touch diffolv'd the virgin zone;
And, thro' the parting robe, th' alternate breast,
With youth wild-throbbing, on thy lawless gaze
In full luxuriance rofe. But, desperate youth,
How durft thou rifque the foul-distracting view;
As from her naked limbs, of glowing white,
Harmonious swell'd by Nature's finest hand,
In folds loose-floating fell the fainter lawn ;
And fair-expos'd she stood, fhrunk from herself,
With fancy blufhing, at the doubtful breeze
Alarm'd, and ftarting like the fearful fawn?
Then to the flood fhe rush'd; the parted flood
Its lovely guest with clofing waves receiv'd ;
And every beauty foftening, every grace
Flushing anew, a mellow luftre fhed:
As fhines the lily thro' the crystal mild;
Or as the rofe amid the morning dew,
Fresh from Aurora's hand, more fweetly glows.
While thus fhe wanton'd, now beneath the wave
But ill-conceal'd; and now with ftreaming locks,
That half-embrac'd her in a humid veil,
Rifing again, the latent DAMON drew
Such madning draughts of beauty to the foul,
As for a while o'erwhelm'd his raptur'd thought
With luxury too-daring. Check'd, at last,
By love's refpectful modefty, he deem'd
The theft profane, if aught profane to love
Can e'er be deem'd; and, ftruggling from the fhade,
With headlong hurry fled: but first these lines,
Trac'd by his ready pencil, on the bank,
With trembling hand he threw.
"Yet unbeheld save by the sacred
"Of faithful love: I go to guard thy haunt,
"To keep from thy recess each vagrant foot,
"And each licentious eye." With wild furprize,
As if to marble ftruck, devoid of fenfe,
A ftupid moment motionless she stood:
So ftands the ftatue that enchants the world,
So bending tries to veil the matchless boaft,
The mingled beauties of exulting Greece.
Recovering, fwift she flew to find thofe robes 1350
Which blissful Eden knew not; and, array'd
In careless hafte, th' alarming paper snatch'd.
But, when her DAMON's well-known hand fhe faw,
Her terrors vanish'd, and a fofter train
Of mixt emotions, hard to be defcrib'd,
Her fudden bofom feiz'd: fhame void of guilt,
|