Where you the way with magic power beguile, Foes of thy worth, that, insolent and vain, Yet, yet I'm thine; for Fame's unerring tongue O grant me, Plutus, scenes like those 1 sung, Grant her, good god, Don Philip and Peru. HYMN TO HUMANITY. PARENT of Virtue, if thine ear Indulge my votive strain, O sweet Humanity. Come, ever welcome to my breast, A tender, but a cheerful guest; Of life-consuming sorrow dwell; And grief, that makes the heart its prey, Then comes, sweet nymph, instead of thee, O may that fiend be banish'd far, Nor borne along the fav'ring tide, If Heav'n, in ev'ry purpose wise, Alike, the foolish, and the vain, O, for that sympathetic glow Or, rais'd to Heav'n, implor'd the bread It comes: it fills my labouring breast! Life, fill'd with grief's distressful train, Parent of Virtue, if thine ear HYMN TO THE RISING SUN. FROM the red wave rising bright, On Taurus' heights his coursers prance; Lift on high thy golden head; A FAREWELL HYMN TO THE VALLEY OF IRWAN. FAREWELL the fields of Irwan's vale, My infant years where Fancy led; And sooth'd me with the western gale, Her wild dreams waving round my head, While the blythe blackbird told his tale. Farewell the fields of Irwan's vale! The primrose on the valley's side, The green thyme on the mountain's head, The wanton rose, the daisy pied, The wilding's blossom blushing red; No longer I their sweets inhale Farewell the fields of Irwan's vale! How oft, within yon vacant shade, Has ev'ning clos'd my careless eye! How oft, along those banks I've stray'd, And watch'd the wave that wander'd by; Full long their loss shall Į bewail. Farewell the fields of Irwan's vale! Yet still, within yon vacant grove, To mark the close of parting day; Along yon flow'ry banks to rove, And watch the wave that winds away; Fair Fancy sure shall never fail, HYMN TO THE ETERNAL LIFE of the world, Immortal Mind, To thee my humble voice I raise; Tho' thou this transient being gave, And still this poor contracted span, Thro' Errour's maze, thro' Folly's night, Affliction flies, and Hope returns; Her lamp with brighter splendour burns; O may I still thy favour prove! 469 TRANSLATIONS. It is evident, however, that he spent much of his time in Sicily, Moschus, as he tells us, was his scholar; and by him we are informed, that his master was not a poor poet. "Thou hast left to others thy riches, says he, "but to me thy poetry." It appears from the same author, that he died by poison. The best edition of his works, is that of Paris, by M. de Louge-Pierre, with a French translation. Adonis dead, &c.] Adonis, the favourite of Venus, was the son of Cynaras, king of Cyprus. His chief employment was hunting, though he is represented by Virgil as a Shepherd, Oves ad flumina pavit Adonis. He was killed by a wild boar, if we may believe Propertius, in Cyprus: Percussit Adonim Venantem Idalio vertice durus Aper. The anniversary of his death was celebrated through the whole Pagan world. Aristophanes, in his Comedy of Peace, reckons the feast of Adonis among the chief festivals of the Athenians. The Syrians observed it with all the violence of grief, and the greatest cruelty of self-castigation. It was celebrated at Alexandria in St. Cyril's time; and when Julian the apostate made his entry at Antioch, in the year 362, they were celebrating the feast of Adonis. The ancients differ greatly in their accounts of this divinity. Athenæus says, that he was the favourite of Bacchus. Plutarch maintains, that he and Bacchus are the same, and that the Jews abstain'd from swine's flesh because Adonis was killed by a boar. Ausonius, Epig. 30, affirms that Bacchus, Osiris, and Adonis, are one and the same. Stretch'd on this mountain thy torn lover lies: Weep, queen of beauty! for he bleeds-he dies. Ah! yet behold life's last drops faintly flow, In streams of purple, o'er those limbs of snow! From the pale cheek the perish'd roses fly; And death dims slow the ghastly gazing eye. Kiss, kiss those fading lips, ere chill'd in death; With soothing fondness stay the fleeting breath. 'Tis vain-ah! give the soothing fondness o'er! Adonis feels the warm salute no more. Adonis dead the Muse of woe shall mourn! Adonis dead the weeping Loves return. His faithful dogs bewail their master slain, And mourning dryads pour the plaintive strain. Not the fair youth alone the wound opprest, The queen of beauty bears it in her breast. Her feet unsandal'd, floating wild her hair, Her aspect woeful, and her bosom bare, Distrest she wanders the wild wastes forlorn, Her sacred limbs by ruthless brambles torn. Loud as she grieves, surrounding rocks complain, And Echo thro' the long vales calls her absent swain. Adonis hears not: life's last drops fall slow, In streams of purple, down his limbs of snow. The weeping Cupids round their queen deplore, And mourn her beauty, and her love no more. Each rival grace that glow'd with conscious pride, Each charm of Venus, with Adonis dy'd. Adonis dead, the vocal hills bemoan, And hollow groves return the sadd'ning groan. The swelling floods with sea-born Venus weep, And roll in mournful murmurs to the deep: His faithful dogs, &c.-The queen of beauty, &c.] The lines in the original run thus: Αγριον αγριον ἔλκα. ἔχει κατὰ μήρον Αδονις. The two first of these lines contain a kind of witticism, which it was better to avoid. The author had, however, too much true genius to be fond of these little affected turns of expression, which Museus and others have been industrious to strike out. These four verses are transposed in the translation for the sake of the connection. Distrest, she wanders, &c.] This image of the sorrow of Venus is very affecting, and is introduced in this place with great outy and proprie ty. Indeed, most modern poets seem to have observed it, and have profited by it in their scenes of elegiac woe. The swelling floods, &c] When the poet makes the rivers mourn for Venus, he very properly calls her Appodira; but this propriety perhaps In melting tears the mountain-springs comply; The flowers, low drooping, blush with grief, and die. Cythera's groves with strains of sorrow rin g; Hark! pitying Echoes Venus' sighs return; When Venus sighs, can aught forbear to mourn? But when she saw her fainting lover lie, The wide wound gaping on the with'ring thigh; But streaming when she saw life's purple tide, Stretch'd her fair arms, with trembling voice she cry'd : "Yet stay,lov'd youth! a moment ere we part, O let me kiss thee !-hold thee to my heart! A little moment, dear Adonis! stay! And kiss thy Venus, ere those lips are clay. Let those dear lips by mine once more be prest, Till thy last breath expire into my breast; Then, when life's ebbing pulse scarce, scarce - can move, I'll catch thy soul, and drink thy dying love. That last-left pledge shall sooth my tortur'd breast, "When thou art gone When, far from me, thy gentle ghost explores Infernal Pluto's grimly-glooming shores. "Wretch that I am! immortal and divine, In life imprison'd whom the Fates confine. He comes! receive him to thine iron-arms; Blest queen of death! receive the prince of charms. Farhappier thou, to whose wide realms repair The Loves around in idle sorrow stand, Delight and beauty with Adonis died. "Why didst thou, vent'rous, the wild chase explore, From his dark lair to rouse the tusky boar? was merely accidental, as he has given her the same appellation when she wanders the desert. The flowers, low-drooping, blush, &c.] Ανθεα δ ̓ ἐξ ὀδυνας ἐρυθραίνεται. Paleness being the known effect of grief, we do not at first sight accept this expression; but when we consider that the first emotions of it are attended with blushes, we are pleased with the observation. Cythera's groves, &c.] ἅ δε Κυθήρη Παντας ἀνα αναμὼ καὶ ἀαν πόλιν οικῖρον ἀείδει. Far other sport might those fair limbs essay, Than the rude combat, or the savage fray.” Thus Venus griev'd-the Cupids round deplore ; And mourn her beauty, and her love no more. Yet not in vain those sacred drops shall flow, But cease in vain to cherish dire despair, This passage the scholiasts have entirely mis- For the long, &c.] Numa seems to have borunderstood. They make Konpn Venus, for rowed the custom he instituted of mourning a which they have neither any authority, the Do- year for the deceased, from the Greeks. For ric name she borrows from that island being al-though it is said only ten months were set apart, ways Kuipela, nor the least probability from yet ten months were the year of Romulus, till rethe connection. gulated by his successor. This proves that the island Cythera was the place where Adonis perished, notwithstanding the opinion of Propertius and others to the contrary. EXTRAIT d'une ode SUR LA MEDIOCRITE. PAR M. GRESSET. SEDUITS par d'aveugles idoles Du bonheur; fantômes frivoles, Le vulgaire et les grands ne te suivirent pas : A la sagesse, acquise en marchant sur tes pas. Dont la voix n'eut jamais formé de sons brillans. Ou si indigence importune Eat troublé leur silence, ou caché leurs talens. Mais en vain tu fuyois la gloire. Que parmi la mollesse, et l'orgueil des faisceaux. Et ses sages vainqueurs, philosophes guerriers THE HAPPINESS OF A MODERATE FORTUNE, AND MODERATE DESIRES. FROM THE FRENCH OF MR. GRESSET. O GODDESS of the golden mean, Thy only subjects are the wise. Each tender bar of verse divine! Who lur'd by fortune's vain parade, Had never form'd the tuneful line; By fortune lur'd or want confin'd, Whose cold hand chills the genial mind. In vain you slight the flow'ry crown, That fame wreathes round the favour'd head! Whilst laurell'd victory and renown Their heroes from thy shades have led; By thee were form'd, from cities far, Sur tes secrets autels rapportoient leurs-lauriers. And plac'd their laurels in thy fane. Trop heureux, déïté paisible, Le mortel sagement sensible, Qui jamais loin de toi a porte ses desirs, Par sa douce mélancolie, Sauvé de l'humaine folie, Dans la vérité seul il cherche ses plaisirs. Ignoré de la multitude, Libre de tout servitude, Thrice happy he, on whose calm breast The smiles of peaceful wisdom play, Whose wishes never learnt to stray. Il n'envia jamais, les grands biens, les grand noms, He envies not the pomp of life, Il n'ignore point que la foudre A plus souvent réduit en poudre A length of rent-roll, or of name : For safe he views the vale-grown elm, Le pin de monts altiers, que l'ormeau des While thunder-sounding storms the mountain valons. Sourd aux censures populaires, Il ne craint point les yeux vulgaires, Son œil perce au-delà de leur foible horison: S'il a scû mériter l'aveu de la raison. Il rit du sort, quand les conquêtes - Promènent de têtes en têtes Les couronnes du nord, ou celles du midi: Amitié, charmante immortelle, Tu choisis à si cœur fidèle pine o'erwhelm, Of censure's frown he feels no dread, And calmly bears the wild storm roar. Peu d'amis mais constans, vertueux comme lui: The few caprice could never move, Tu ne crains point que le caprice, Ou verse sur leurs jours les poisons de l'ennui. Ami des frugales demeures, Tu répans sur ses yeux tes songes favoris ; Qui, parmi l'effroi des ténèbres. The few whom int'rest never sway'd; Nor shed unseen, with hate refin'd, The pale cares o'er the gloomy mind. Soft Sleep, that lov'st the peaceful cell, On these descends thy balmy power; While no terrific dreams dispel The slumbers of the sober hour; Which oft, array'd in darkness drear, Vont reveiller les grands sous les riches lambris. Wake the wild eye of pride to fear. |