IDEM LATINE REDDITUM,

1.

HEU inimicitias quoties parit æmula forma,

Quam raro pulchræ pulchra placere poteft ? Sed fines ultrà folitos difcordia tendit,

Cum flores ipfos bilis et ira movent,
II.

Hortus ubi dulces præbet tacitofque receffûs,
Se rapit in partes gens animofa duas;
Hic fibi regales Amaryllis candida cultûs,
Illic purpureo vindicat ore Rofa,

III.

Ira Rofam et meritis quæfita fuperbia tangunt, Multaque ferventi vix cohibenda finû,

Dum fibi fautorum ciet undique nomina vatûm, Jufque fuum, multo carmine fulta, probat.

IV.

Altior emicat illa, et celfo vertice nutat,

Ceu flores inter non habitura parem, Faftiditque alios, et nata videtur in ufûs

Imperii, fceptrum, Flora quod ipfa gerat.

V.

Nec Dea non fenfit civilis murmura rixæ,
Cui curæ eft pictas pandere ruris opes.
Deliciafque fuas nunquam non prompta tueri,
Dum licet et locus eft, ut tueatur, adeft.

VI.

Et tibi forma datur procerior omnibus, inquit,
Et tibi, principibus qui folet effe, color,
Et donec vincat quædam formofior ambas,
Et tibi reginæ nomen, et efto tibi.

VII.

His ubi fedatus furor eft, petit utraque nympham,
Qualem inter Veneres Anglia fola parit;

Hanc penés imperium eft, nihil optant amplius, hujus Regnant in nitidis, et fine lite, genis.

THE POPLAR FIELD.

THE poplars are felled, farewell to the shade,
And the whispering found of the cool colonade;
The winds play no longer and fing in the leaves,
Nor Oufe on his bofom their image receives.

Twelve years have elapfed, fince I last took a view
Of my favourite field, and the bank where they grew;
And now in the grafs behold they are laid

And the tree is my seat, that once lent me a shade.

The blackbird has fled to another retreat,

Where the hazels afford him a fcreen from the heat, And the scene, where his melody charmed me before, Refounds with his sweet-flowing ditty no more.

My fugitive years are all hafting away,
And I muft ere long lie as lowly as they,

With a turf on my breaft, and a stone at my head,
Ere another fuch grove shall arise in its stead.

'Tis a fight to engage me, if any thing can,
To mufe on the perifhing pleasures of man;
Though his life be a dream, his enjoyments, I fee,
Have a being lefs durable even than he *.

Mr. Cowper afterwards altered this laft ftanza in the following manner :

The change both my heart and my fancy employs,
I reflect on the frailty of man, and his joys;
Short-lived as we are, yet our pleasures, we fee,
Have a still shorter date, and die fooner than we.

IDEM LATINE REDDITUM.

POPULEÆ cecidit gratiffima copia filvæ, Conticuêre fufurri, omnifque evanuit umbra. Nullæ jam levibus fe mifcent frondibus auræ, Et nulla in fluvio ramorum ludit imago.

Hei mihi! bis fenos dum luctû torqueor annos
His cogor filvis fuetoque carere receffu,
Cum ferò rediens, ftratafque in gramine cernens
Infedi arboribus, fub queîs errare folebam.

Ah ubi nunc merulæ cantus? Felicior illum
Silva tegit, duræ nondum permiffa bipenni;
Scilicet exuftos colles campofque patentes
Odit, et indignans et non rediturus abivit.

Sed qui fuccifas doleo fuccidar et ipfe,
Et priùs huic parilis quàm creverit altera filva
Flebor, et, exequiis parvis donatus, habebo
Defixum lapidem tumulique cubantis acervum.

Tam fubitò periiffe videns tam digna manere,
Agnofco humanas fortes et triftia fata-

Sit licat ipfe brevis, volucrique fimillimus umbræ,
Eft homini brevior citiùfque obitura voluptas.

VOTUM.

O MATUTINI rores, auræque falubres,
O nemora, et lætæ rivis felicibus herbæ,
Graminei colles, et amænæ in vallibus umbræ !
Fata modò dederint quas olim in rure paterno
Delicias, procul arte, procul formidine novi,
Quam vellem ignotus, quod mens mea femper avebat,
Ante larem proprium placidam expectare fene&tam,
Tum demùm, exactis non infeliciter annis,
Sortiri tacitum lapidem, aut fub cespite condi!