With equal virtue form'd and equal grace, The same, distinguish'd by their sex alone: Her's the mild lustre of the blooming morn, And his the radiance of the risen day.
They lov'd; but such their guileless passion was, As in the dawn of time inform'd the heart
Of innocence and undissembling truth. 'Twas friendship heighten'd by the mutual wish, The enchanting hope, and sympathetic glow, Beam'd from the mutual eye. Devoting all To love, each was to each a dearer self; Supremely happy in the awaken'd power Of giving joy. Alone, amid the shades, Still in harmonious intercourse they liv'd The rural day, and talk'd the flowing heart, Or sigh'd, and look'd unutterable things.
So pass'd their life, a clear united stream, By care unruffled; till in evil hour, The tempest caught them on the tender walk, Heedless how far, and where its mazes stray'd; While with each other blest, creative love Still bade eternal Eden smile around. Presaging instant fate, her bosom heav'd Unwonted sighs; and stealing oft a look Of the big gloom, on Celadon her eye Fell tearful, wetting her disorder'd cheek.
In vain assuring love, and confidence
In Heaven, repress'd her fear; it grew, and shook Her frame near dissolution. He perceiv'd The unequal conflict, and as angels look On dying saints, his eyes compassion shed With love illumin'd high. Fear not,' he said, 'Sweet innocence! thou stranger to offence, And inward storm! He, who yon skies involves In frowns of darkness, ever smiles on thee With kind regard. O'er thee the secret shaft That wastes at midnight, or the undreaded hour Of noon, flies harmless: and that very voice, Which thunders terror through the guilty heart, With tongues of seraphs whispers peace to thine. 'Tis safety to be near thee, sure, and thus To clasp perfection" From his void embrace, D
Mysterious Heaven! that moment to the ground, A blacken'd corse, was struck the beauteous maid. But who can paint the lover, as he stood, Pierc'd by severe amazement, hating life, Speechless, and fix'd in all the death of woe! So, faint resemblance! on the marble tomb, The well-dissembled mourner stooping stands, For ever silent, and for ever sad.
As from the face of heaven the shatter'd clouds Tumultuous rove, the interminable sky Sublimer swells, and o'er the world expands A purer azure. Through the lighten❜d air, A higher lustre and a clearer calm, Diffusive, tremble; while, as if in sign Of danger past, a glittering robe of joy, Set off abundant by the yellow ray, Invests the fields; and Nature smiles reviv'd. 'Tis beauty all, and grateful song around, Join'd to the low of kine, and numerous bleat Of flocks thick-uibbling through the clover'd vale. And shall the hymn be marr'd by thankless man, Most favour'd; who, with voice articulate, Should lead the chorus of the lower world? Shall he, so soon forgetful of the hand
That hush'd the thunder, and serenes the sky, Extinguish'd feel that spark the tempest wak'd, That sense of powers exceeding far his own, Ere yet his feeble heart has lost its fears?
Cheer'd by the milder beam, the sprightly youth Speeds to the well-known pool, whose crystal depth A sandy bottom shews. Awhile he stands
Gazing the inverted landscape, half afraid
To meditate the blue profound below;
Then plunges headlong down the circling flood. His ebon tresses, and his rosy cheek,
Instant emerge: and, through the obedient wave, At each short breathing by his lip repell'd, With arms and legs according well, he makes,
As humour leads, an easy-winding path; While, from his polish'd sides, a dewy light Effuses on the pleas'd spectators round.
This is the purest exercise of health,
The kind refresher of the summer heats:
Nor, when cold Winter keens the brightening flood, Would I weak-shivering linger on the brink. Thus life redoubles, and is oft preserv'd By the bold swimmer, in the swift illapse Of accident disastrous. Hence the limbs Knit into force; and the same Roman arm, That rose victorious o'er the conquer'd earth, First learn'd, while tender, to subdue the wave. Even, from the body's purity, the mind Receives a secret sympathetic aid.
Close in the covert of a hazel copse, Where, winding into pleasing solitudes, Runs out the rambling dale, young Damon sat, Pensive, and pierc'd with love's delightful pangs. There to the stream that down the distant rocks Hoarse-murmuring fell, and plaintive breeze that Among the bending willows, falsely he [play'd Of Musidora's cruelty complain'd.
She felt his flame; but deep within her breast, In bashful coyness, or in maiden pride, The soft return conceal'd; save when it stole In sidelong glances from her downcast eye, Or from her swelling soul in stifled sighs. Touch'd by the scene, no stranger to his vows, He fram'd a melting lay, to try her heart; And if an infant passion struggled there, To call that passion forth. Thrice happy swain! 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 Musidora sought; Warm in her cheek the sultry season glow'd; And, rob'd in loose array, she came to bathe Her fervent limbs in the refreshing stream. What shall he do? in sweet confusion lost, And dubious flutterings, he a while remain'd: A pure ingenuous elegance of soul,
A delicate refinement, known to few, Perplex'd his breast, and urg'd him to retire : But love forbade. Ye prudes in virtue, say, Ɛay, ye severest, what would you have done?
Meantime, this fairer nymph than ever blest Arcadian stream, with timid eye around
The banks surveying, stript her beauteous limbs, To taste the lucid coolness of the flood. Ah! then, not Paris on the piny top Of Ida panted stronger, when aside The rival goddesses the veil divine
Cast unconfin'd, and gave him all their charms, Than, Damon, thou; as from the snowy leg, And slender foot, the inverted silk she drew; As the soft touch dissolv'd the virgin zone; And, through the parting robe, th' alternate breast, With youth wild-throbbing, on thy lawless gaze In full luxuriance rose. But, desperate youth, How durst thou risk the soul-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, shrunk from herself, With fancy blushing, at the doubtful breeze Alarm'd, and starting like the fearful fawn; Then to the flood she rush'd: the parting flood Its lovely guest with closing waves receiv'd; And every beauty softening, every grace Flushing anew, a mellow lustre shed: As shines the lily through the crystal mild; Or as the rose amid the morning dew, Fresh from Aurora's hand, more sweetly glows. While thus she wanton'd, now beneath the wave But ill-conceal'd; and now with streaming locks, That half-embraced her in a humid veil, Rising again, the latent Damon drew Such madd'ning draughts of beauty to the soul, As for a while o'erwhelm'd his raptur'd thought With luxury too daring. Check'd, at last,
By love's respectful modesty, he deem'd
The theft profane, if aught profane to love
Can e'er be deem'd, and struggling from the shade, With headlong hurry fled: but first these lines,
Trac'd by his ready pencil, on the bank
With trembling hand he threw: Bathe on, my fair, Yet uubeheld, save by the sacred eye
Of faithful love: I go to guard thy haunt, To keep from thy recess each vagrant foot, And each licentious eye.' With wild surprise, As if to marble struck, devoid of sense, A stupid moment motionless she stood:
So stands the statue* that enchants the world, So bending tries to veil the matchless boast, The mingled beauties of exulting Greece. Recovering, swift she flew to find those robes Which blissful Eden knew not; and, array'd In careless haste, th' alarming paper snatch'd. But, when her Damon's well-known hand she saw, Her terrors vanish'd, and a softer train
Of mix'd emotions, hard to be describ'd,
Her sudden bosom seiz'd: shame void of guilt, The charming blush of innocence, esteem And admiration of her lover's flame,
By modesty exalted: even a sense
Of self-approving beauty stole across
Her busy thought. At length, a tender calm Hush'd by degrees the tumult of the soul;
And on the spreading beech, that o'er the stream Incumbent hung, she with the sylvan pen
Of rural lovers this confession carv'd,
Which soon her Damon kiss'd with weeping joy: 'Dear youth! sole judge of what these verses mean, By fortune too much favour'd, but by love, Alas! not favour'd less, be still as now
Discreet: the time may come you need not fly.'
The sun has lost his rage; his downward orb
Shoots nothing now but animating warmth,
And vital lustre: that, with various ray,
Lights up the clouds, those beauteous robes of heaven, Incessant roll'd into romantic shapes,
The dream of waking fancy! Broad below, Cover'd with ripening fruits, and swelling fast Into the perfect year, the pregnant earth, And all her tribes rejoice. Now the soft hour Of walking comes: for him who lonely loves To seek the distant hills, and there converse With Nature; there to harmonize his heart, The Venus of Medici.
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