Maria weeps-The Muses mourn- On Thracian Hebrus' side The tree-enchanter Orpheus fell; The cruel death he died. THE rose had been washed, just washed in a shower, Which Mary to Anna conveyed, The plentiful moisture encumbered the flower, And weighed down its beautiful head. The cup was all filled, and the leaves were all wet, To And it seemed to a fanciful view, weep for the buds it had left with regret, On the flourishing bush where it grew. I hastily seized it, unfit as it was, For a nosegay, so dripping and drowned, And such, I exclaimed, is the pitiless part This elegant rose, had I shaken it less, Might have bloomed with its owner a while, And the tear, that is wiped with a little address, May be followed perhaps by a smile. THE DOVES. I. REASONING at every step he treads, Man yet mistakes his way, While meaner things, whom instinct leads, Are rarely known to stray. II. One silent eve I wandered late; And heard the voice of love; The turtle thus addressed her mate, And soothed the listening dove; III. Our mutual bond of faith and truth No time shall disengage, Those blessings of our early youth Shall cheer our latest age: IV. While innocence without disguise, And constancy sincere, Shall fill the circles of those eyes, And mine can read them there; V. Those ills, that wait on all below, Shall ne'er be felt by me, Or gently felt, and only so, As being shared with thee. VI. When lightnings flash among the trees, Or kites are hovering near, I fear lest thee alone they seize, And know no other fear. VII. 'Tis then I feel myself a wife, And press thy wedded side, Resolved an union formed for life Death never shall divide. VIII. But oh! if fickle and unchaste, (Forgive a transient thought) Thou could become unkind at last, IX. No need of lightning from on high, Or kites with cruel beak; Denied the endearments of thine eye, This widowed heart would break. X. Thus sang the sweet sequestered bird, Soft as the passing wind, And I recorded what I heard, A lesson for mankind. |