On dying faints, his eyes compassion shed,
With love illumin'd high.
"Fear not, he said, ftranger to offence, 1195
"And. inward ftorm! HE, who yon fkies involves "In frowns of darkness, ever finiles on thee "With kind regard. O'er thee the secret shaft "That wastes at midnight, or th' undreaded hour "Of noon, flies harmlefs: and that very voice, 1200 "Which thunders terror thro' the guilty heart, "With tongues of feraphs whifpers peace to thine. ""Tis fafety to be near thee fure, and thus
To clafp perfection!" From his void embrace, 1204 (Mysterious Heaven!) that moment, to the ground, A blacken'd corfe, was ftruck the beauteous maid. But who can paint the lover, as he food, 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 ftooping 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,
Invests 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. 1225
And fhall 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, 1230
Extinguish'd feel that spark the tempeft wak'd,
That fense of powers exceeding far his own,
Ere yet his feeble heart has loft its fears?
CHEAR'D by the milder beam, the sprightly youth
Speeds to the well-known pool, whofe crystal depth
A fandy bottom fhews. 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
Instant emerge; and thro th' obedient wave,
At each fhort 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
Effufes on the pleas'd fpectators round.
THIS is the pureft exercife 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. 1250
Thus life redoubles, and is oft preferv'd,
By the bold fwimmer, in the fwift illapse
Of accident difaftrous. Hence the limbs
Knit into force; and the fame Roman arm,
That rofe victorious o'er the conquer'd earth, 1255
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
Hoarfe-murmuring fell, and plaintive breeze that play'd
Among the bending willows, falfely he
Of MUSIDORA's cruelty complain'd.
She felt his flame; but deep within her breast,
In bafhful coynefs, or in maiden pride,
The foft return conceal'd; fave when it stole
In fide-long glances from her downcaft eye,
Or from her fwelling foul in ftifled fighs.
'Fouch'd by the scene, no ftranger to his vows,
He fram'd a melting lay, to try her heart;
And, if an infant paffion struggled there,
To call that paffion forth Thrice happy fwain! 1275
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 fought:
Warm in her check the fuitry feafon glow'd: 1:80
And, robe'd in loofe array, fhe came to bathe
Her fervent limbs in the refreshing stream.
What shall he do? In sweet confufion loft,
And dubious flutterrings, 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 1290
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 ftronger, when afide
The rival-goddeffes the veil divine
Cast unconfin'd, and gave him all their charms,
Than, DAMON, thou; as from the fnowy leg,
And lender foot, th' inverted filk fhe drew;
As the foft touch diffolv'd the virgin zone; 1300
Ard, thro' the parting robe, th' alternate breaft,
With youth wild-throbbing, on thy lawlefs gaze
In fall luxuriance rofe. But, defperate youth,
How durft thou rifque the foul-distracting view;
As from her naked limbs, of glowing white,, 1305
Harmonious fwell'd by Nature's fneit hand,
In folds loose-floating feil the fainter lawn;
And fair-expos'd the food, fhrunk from herself,
With fancy blushing, at the doubtful breeze
Alarm'd, and starting like the fearful fawn?
Then to the flood fhe rufh'd; the parted flood
Its lovely guest with clofing waves receiv'd;
And every beauty foftening, every grace
Flufhing new, a mellow luftre fhed:
As fhines the lily thro' the cryftal mild;
Or as the rose amid the morning dew,
Fresh from Aurora's hand, more sweetly glows.
While thus fhe wanton'd, now beneath the wave
But ill-conceal'd; and now with streaming 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 laft,
By love's respectful modefty, he deem'd
The theft profane, if aught profane to love
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