A charm, by truth divinely caft,
Forward our young advent'rer pafs'd,
Forth from her facred eye-lids fent,
Like morn, fore-running radiance went,
While Honour, hand-maid late affign'd,
Upheld her lucid train behind.
Awe-struck the much-admiring crowd
Before the virgin vifion bow'd,
Gaz'd with an ever-new delight,
And caught fresh virtue at the fight;
For not of earth's unequal frame
They deem the heav'n-compounded Dame;
If matter, fure the most refin'd,
High wrought, and temper'd into mind,
Some darling daughter of the day,
And body'd by her native ray.
Where-e'er the paffes, thousands bend,
And thousands, where the moves, attend;
Her ways obfervant eyes confefs,
Her fteps pursuing praises blefs;
While to the elevated Maid
Oblations, as to Heav'n, are paid.
'Twas on an ever-blithefome day, The jovial birth of rofy May,
When genial warmth, no more fupprefs'd,
New melts the froft in ev'ry breast,
'The cheek with fecret flufhing dies;
And looks kind things from chastest eyes;
The fun with healthier vifage glows,
Afide his clouded kerchief throws,
And dances up th' ethereal plain,
Where late he us'd to climb with pain,
While nature, as from bonds fet free,
Springs out, and gives a loose to glee.
And now, for momentary rest,
The nymph her travell'd ftep repress'd,
Juft turn'd to view the ftage attain'd,
And glory'd in the height the gain'd.
Out-ftretch'd before her wide furvey
The realms of fweet perdition lay,
And pity touch'd her foul with woe,
To fee a world fo loft below;
When straight the breeze began to breathe
Airs, gently wafted from beneath,
That bore commiffion'd witchcraft thence,
And reach'd her fympathy of fenfe;
No founds of discord, that difclofe
A people funk and lost in woes,
But as of prefent good poffefs'd,
The very triumph of the blefs'd.
The maid in rapt attention hung,
While thus approaching Sirens fung:
Hither, fairest, hither hafte,
Brightest beauty, come and taste,
What the pow'rs of blifs unfold,
Joys too mighty to be told;
Taste what extafies they give,
Dying raptures taste and live.
In thy lap, difdaining measure,
Nature empties all her treaíure,
Soft defires, that fweetly languifh,
Fierce delights, that rise to anguifh;
Faireft, doft thou yet delay?
Brightest beauty come away.
Lift not, when the froward chide,
Sons of pedantry and pride,
Snarlers, to whofe feeble fenfe
April's funshine is offence;
Age and envy will advise
Ev'n against the joy they prize.
Come, in pleafure's balmy bowl
Slake the thirstings of thy foul,
Till thy raptur'd pow'rs are fainting.
With enjoyment paft the painting;
Faireft, doft thou yet delay?
Brightest beauty, come away.
So fung the Sirens, as of yore,
Upon the falfe Aufonian fhore;
And O! for that preventing chain,
That bound Ulyffes on the main,
That fo our Fair One might withstand
The covert ruin, now at hand.
The fong her charm'd attention drew,
When now the tempters ftood in view;
Curiofity, with prying eyes,
And hands of bufy, bold emprife;
Like Hermes, feather'd were her feet,
And, like fore-running fancy, fleet;
By fearch untaught, by toil untir'd,
To novelty fhe itill aspir'd,
Tasteless of every good poffefs'd,
And but in expectation bleft.
With her, affociate, Pleasure came,
Gay Pleasure, frolic-loving dame,
Her mein, all swimming in delight,
Her beauties half reveal'd to fight;
Loose flow'd her garments from the ground,
And caught the kiffing winds around.
As erft Medusa's looks were known
To turn beholders into ftone,
A dire reverfion here they felt,
And in the eye of Pleasure melt.
Her glance with fweet perfuafion charm'd,
Unnerv'd the strong, the steel'd difarm'd;
No fafety ev'n the flying find,
Who, vent'rous, look but once behind.
Thus was the much-admiring Maid,
While diftant, more than half betray'd.
With fmiles, and adulation bland,
They join'd her fide, and feiz'd her hand;
Their touch envenom'd fweets inftill'd,
Her frame with new pulfations thrill'd;
While half confenting, half denying,
Reluctant now, and now complying,
Amidst a war of hopes and fears,
Of trembling wishes, fmiling tears,
Still down, and down, the winning pair
Compell'd the struggling, yielding Fair.
As when fome ftately veffel, bound
To bleft Arabia's diftant ground,
Soft defires, that sweetly languifh,
Fierce delights, that rise to anguish ;
Faireft, doft thou yet delay?
Brightest beauty come away.
Lift not, when the froward chide,
Sons of pedantry and pride,
Snarlers, to whofe feeble fenfe
April's funfhine is offence;
Age and envy will advise
Ev'n against the joy they prize.
Come, in pleafure's balmy bowl
Slake the thirstings of thy foul,
Till thy raptur'd pow'rs are fainting.
With enjoyment paft the painting;
Faireft, doft thou yet delay?
Brightest beauty, come away.
So fung the Sirens, as of yore,
Upon the falfe Aufonian fhor
And O! for that preventin
That bound Ulyffes on t
That fo our Fair. One
The covert ruin, v
The fong he
When now
Curiofit
And b
Lik
|