 | The works of Anacreon, Sappho, Bion, Moschus and Musæus |  |
ODE XLII. ON HIMSELF.
When Bacchus, jolly God, invites,In sprightly Dance my Heart delights;
When with blithe Youths I drain the Bowl,
The Lyre can harmonize my Soul:
But when, indulging amorous Play,
I frolic with the Fair and Gay,
With hyacinthine Chaplet crown'd,
Then, then the sweetest Joys abound;
My honest Heart nor Envy bears,
Nor Envy's poison'd Arrows fears;
By rankling Malice never stung,
I shun the venom-venting Tongue.
103
Contentions, Battles, and Debate:
When to the Lyre's melodious Sound
With Phyllis in the Dance I bound,
The blooming Fair, the silver Lyre,
Should only Dance and Love inspire:
Then let us pass Life's peaceful Day
In Mirth and Innocence away.
| The works of Anacreon, Sappho, Bion, Moschus and Musæus | |