Lucasta Posthume Poems of Richard Lovelace |
 |
|
To the Genius of Mr. John Hall
On his exxct Translation of Hierocles his Comment upon the golden Verses
of Pythagoras.
|
 |
|
 | Lucasta |  |
74
To the Genius of Mr. John Hall On his exxct Translation of Hierocles his Comment upon the golden Verses of Pythagoras.
Tis not from cheap thanks thinly to repay
Th'Immortal Grove of thy fair order'd bay,
Thou planted'st round my humble Fane, that I
Stick on thy Hearse this Sprig of Elegie:
Nor that your Soul so fast was link'd in me,
That now I've both since't has forsaken thee:
That thus I stand a Swisse before thy gate,
And dare for such another time and fate.
Alas! our Faiths made different Essays,
Our Minds and Merits brake two several ways;
Justice commands, I wake thy learned Dust
And truth, in whom all causes center must.
Th'Immortal Grove of thy fair order'd bay,
Thou planted'st round my humble Fane, that I
Stick on thy Hearse this Sprig of Elegie:
Nor that your Soul so fast was link'd in me,
That now I've both since't has forsaken thee:
That thus I stand a Swisse before thy gate,
And dare for such another time and fate.
Alas! our Faiths made different Essays,
Our Minds and Merits brake two several ways;
Justice commands, I wake thy learned Dust
And truth, in whom all causes center must.
Behold! when but a Youth thou fierce didst whip
Upright the crooked Age, and gilt Vice strip;
A Senator prætextet, that knew'st to sway
The fasces, yet under the Ferula,
Rank'd with the Sage ere blossome did thy Chin
Sleeked without, and Hair all ore within;
Who in the School could'st argue as in Schools,
Thy Lessons were ev'n Academie rules.
So that fair Cam saw thee matriculate
At once a Tyro and a Graduate.
Upright the crooked Age, and gilt Vice strip;
A Senator prætextet, that knew'st to sway
The fasces, yet under the Ferula,
Rank'd with the Sage ere blossome did thy Chin
Sleeked without, and Hair all ore within;
Who in the School could'st argue as in Schools,
Thy Lessons were ev'n Academie rules.
75
At once a Tyro and a Graduate.
At nineteen what Essayes have we beheld!
That well might have the Book of Dogma's swell'd;
Tough Paradoxes, such as Tully's, thou
Didst heat thee with, when snowy was thy Brow,
When thy undown'd face mov'd the Nine to shake,
And of the Muses did a Decad make;
What shall I say, by what Allusion bold,
None but the Sun was ere so young and old.
That well might have the Book of Dogma's swell'd;
Tough Paradoxes, such as Tully's, thou
Didst heat thee with, when snowy was thy Brow,
When thy undown'd face mov'd the Nine to shake,
And of the Muses did a Decad make;
What shall I say, by what Allusion bold,
None but the Sun was ere so young and old.
Young reverend shade, ascend a while! whilst we
Now celebrate this Posthume Victorie,
This Victory that doth contract in Death
Ev'n all the pow'rs and labours of thy breath;
Like the Judean Hero, in thy fall
Thou pull'st the house of Learning on us all.
And as that Soldier Conquest doubted not,
Who but one Splinter had of Castriot,
But would assault ev'n death so strongly charmd,
And naked oppose rocks with this bone arm'd;
So we secure in this fair Relique stand,
The Slings and Darts shot by each profane Hand,
These Soveraign leaves thou left'st us are become
Sear clothes against all Times Infection.
Now celebrate this Posthume Victorie,
This Victory that doth contract in Death
Ev'n all the pow'rs and labours of thy breath;
Like the Judean Hero, in thy fall
Thou pull'st the house of Learning on us all.
And as that Soldier Conquest doubted not,
Who but one Splinter had of Castriot,
But would assault ev'n death so strongly charmd,
And naked oppose rocks with this bone arm'd;
So we secure in this fair Relique stand,
The Slings and Darts shot by each profane Hand,
These Soveraign leaves thou left'st us are become
Sear clothes against all Times Infection.
Sacred Hierocles! whose heav'nly thought,
First acted ore this Comment ere it wrought;
Thou hast so spirited, elixir'd, we
Conceive there is a noble Alchymie;
That's turning of this Gold, to something more
Pretious then Gold we never knew before.
Who now shall doubt the Metempsychosis,
Of the great Author, that shall peruse this?
Let others Dream thy shadow wandering strays
In th' Elizian Mazes, hid with bays;
Or that snatcht up in th'upper Region
'Tis kindled there a Constellation;
I have inform'd me, and Declare with ease,
Thy Soul is fled into Hierocles.
First acted ore this Comment ere it wrought;
Thou hast so spirited, elixir'd, we
Conceive there is a noble Alchymie;
That's turning of this Gold, to something more
Pretious then Gold we never knew before.
76
Of the great Author, that shall peruse this?
Let others Dream thy shadow wandering strays
In th' Elizian Mazes, hid with bays;
Or that snatcht up in th'upper Region
'Tis kindled there a Constellation;
I have inform'd me, and Declare with ease,
Thy Soul is fled into Hierocles.
| Lucasta | |