The fun with healthier visage glows,
Afide his clouded kerchief throws,
And dances up th' etherial plain,
Where late he us'd to climb with pain,
While Nature, as from bonds set free,
Springs out, and gives a loose to glee.
And now, for momentary rest,
The nymph her travell'd step reprefs'd,
Juft turn'd to view the stage attain'd,
And glory'd in the height fhe gain'd.
Out-ftretch'd before her wide furvey,
The realms of sweet Perdition lay,
And Pity touch'd her foul with woe,
To fee a world fo loft below;
When strait the breeze began to breathe
Airs, gently wafted from beneath,
That bore commiffion'd witchcraft thence,
And reach'd her fympathy of sense;
No founds of discord, that disclose
A people funk, and loft in woes,
But, as of present good poffefs'd,
The very triumph of the blefs'd,
The maid in wrapt attention hung,
While thus approaching Sirens fung.
Hither, faireft, hither hafte,
Brightest beauty come and tafte
What the pow'rs of blifs unfold,
Joys, too mighty to be told;
Taste what extafies they give,
Dying raptures tafte, and live.
In thy lap, difdaining measure,
Nature empties all her treasure,
Soft defires, that fweetly languish,
Fierce delights, that rife to anguish;
Faireft, doft thou yet delay ?
Brightest beauty, come away.
Lift not, when the froward chide,
Sons of pedantry, and pride,
Snarlers, to whofe feeble fenfe
April funfhine is offence;
Age and Envy will advise:
Ev'n against the joy they prize.
Come, in Pleafure's balmy bowl,
Slake the thirstings of thy foul,
Till thy raptur'd pow'rs are fainting
With enjoyment, past the painting;
Faireft, doft thou yet delay ?
Brightest beauty, come away.
So fung the Sirens, as of yore,
Upon the falfe Aufonian fhore;
And, O! for that preventing chain,
That bound Ulyffes on the main,
That, fo, our Fair-One might withstand,
The covert ruin now at hand.
The fong her charm'd attention drew,
When now the tempters flood in view;
Curiofity, with prying eyes,
And hands of bufy, bold emprife;
Like Hermes, feather'd were her feet,
And, like fore-running fancy, fleet.
By fearch untaught, by toil untir'd,
To novelty she still afpir'd,
Taftelefs of ev'ry good poffefs'd,
And but in expectation blefs'd.
With her, affociate, Pleasure came,
Gay Pleasure, frolic-loving dame;
Her mien all fwimming in delight,
Her beauties half reveal'd to fight;
Loofe flow'd her garments from the ground,
And caught the kiffing winds around.
As, erft, Medufa's looks were known
To turn beholders into ftone,
A dire reverfion here they felt,
And in the eye of Pleasure melt.
Her glance with sweet perfwafion charm'd,
Unnerv'd the ftrong, the fteel'd, difarm'd;
No fafety e'en the flying find,
Who, vent'rous, look but once behind.
Thus was the much admiring maid,
While distant, more than half betray'd.
With fmiles, and adulation bland,
They join'd her fide, and feiz'd her hand;
Their touch envenom'd fweets inftill'd,
Her frame with new pulfations thrill'd;
While, half confenting, half denying,
Repugnant now, and now complying,
Amidst a war of hopes, and fears,
Of trembling wishes, fmiling tears,
Still down, and down, the winning pair
Compell'd the struggling, yielding fair.
As when some stately veffel, bound
To blefs'd Arabia's distant ground,
Borne from her courfes, haply lights
Where Barca's flow'ry clime invites,
Conceal'd around whofe treach'rous land,
Lurks the dire rock, and dang'rous fand;
The pilot warns with fail and oar,
To fhun the much fufpected shore,
In vain; the tide, too fubtly ftrong,
Still bears the wrestling bark along,
Till, found'ring, fhe refigns to fate,
And finks, o'erwhelm'd, with all her freight.
So, baffling ev 3 bar to fin,
And Heav'n's own pilot, plac'd within,
Along the devious, smooth descent,
With pow'rs increafing as they went,
The dames, accustom'd to fubdue,
As with a rapid current drew,
And o'er the fatal bounds convey'd
The loft, the long reluctant maid.
Here ftop, ye fair ones, and beware,
Nor fend your fond affections there;
Yet, yet your darling, now deplor'd,
May turn, to you and Heav'n reftor'd ;
Till then, with weeping Honour wait,
The fervant of her better fate,
With Honour, left upon the shore,
Her friend and handmaid now no more;
Nor, with the guilty world, upbraid
The fortunes of a wretch betray'd,
But o'er her failing caft the veil,
Rememb'ring, you yourselves are frail.
And now, from all-enquiring light,
Faft fled the conscious shades of night;
The damfel, from a fhort repose,
Confounded at her plight, arose.
As when, with flumb'rous weight opprefs'd,
Some wealthy miser finks to reft,
Where felons eye the glitt'ring prey,
And steal his hoard of joys away;
He, borne where golden Indus ftreams,
Of pearl, and quarry'd di'mond dreams,
Like Midas, turns the glebe to oar,
And ftands all wrapt amidst his store,
But wakens, naked, and defpoil'd
Of that, for which his years had toil'd.`
So far'd the nymph, her treasure flown,
And turn'd, like Niobe, to ftone,
Within, without, obfcure, and void,
She felt all ravag'd, all deftroy'd.
And, O thou curs'd, infidious coaft!
Are these the bleffings thou can'ft boaft?
These, Virtue! these the joys they find,
Who leave thy heav'n-topt hills behind?
Shade me, ye pines, ye caverns, hide,
Ye mountains, cover me, fhe cry'd!
Her trumpet Slander rais'd on high,
And told the tidings to the sky;
Contempt discharg'd a living dart,
A fide-long viper to her heart;
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