Florien A Tragedy in Five Acts, and Other Poems. By Herman Charles Merivale |
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| LYRICS OF PERICLES.
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| I. |
| II. |
| III. |
| IV. |
| V. |
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LYRICS OF PERICLES.
I.—INVOCATION TO CERES.
Goddess of the golden horn,
Plenty's Queen when man was born,
Hear us where we bend the knee
To thine high divinity:
Hear the infant's hungering cry,
Mothers' prayer no more deny:
Shed thy store o'er field and town,
Ceres, send thy blessing down.
Plenty's Queen when man was born,
Hear us where we bend the knee
To thine high divinity:
Hear the infant's hungering cry,
Mothers' prayer no more deny:
Shed thy store o'er field and town,
Ceres, send thy blessing down.
Want and Woe stalk hand in hand
Through the parched and blighted land;
Poppies o'er the leaguered plain
Kiss to death the poisoned grain,
And the wavy sheaves of gold
Wither in their spectral fold:
Wear again thine harvest-crown,
Ceres, send thy blessing down.
Through the parched and blighted land;
Poppies o'er the leaguered plain
Kiss to death the poisoned grain,
And the wavy sheaves of gold
Wither in their spectral fold:
Wear again thine harvest-crown,
Ceres, send thy blessing down.
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II.—MARCH AND BACCHANAL.
Evoë, Bacchus, the King!
Evoë, Bacchus, we sing!
Cymbal and thyrsus we bring, Evoë!
Evoë, Bacchus, we sing!
Cymbal and thyrsus we bring, Evoë!
Leaving Cithæron in shade,
Come with the Graces arrayed,
Come with the Asian maid, Evoë!
Come with the Graces arrayed,
Come with the Asian maid, Evoë!
When Ariadne deplored
Theseus her lover and lord,
Thou wast the healer adored, Evoë!
Theseus her lover and lord,
Thou wast the healer adored, Evoë!
Semele's offspring divine,
Giver of glorious wine,
Gladness and madness are thine, Evoë!
Giver of glorious wine,
Gladness and madness are thine, Evoë!
Come, then, our King in thy pride,
Come on thy panther astride,
Choose thee our fairest for bride, Evoë!
Come on thy panther astride,
Choose thee our fairest for bride, Evoë!
She whom thou wilt shall enfold
Thee with her tresses of gold,
Sounding thy pæan of old, Evoë!
Thee with her tresses of gold,
Sounding thy pæan of old, Evoë!
Kiss her and lead her along
While we thy votaries throng
Round with the mystical song, Evoë!
While we thy votaries throng
Round with the mystical song, Evoë!
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III.—THAISA'S DIRGE.
Thaisa fair, under the cold sea lying,
Sleeps the long sleep denied to her by Earth;
We, adding sighs unto the wild winds' sighing,
With all our mourning under-mourn her worth:
The white waves toss their crested plumes above her,
Round sorrowing faces with the salt spray wet,
All are her lovers that once learned to love her,
And never may remember to forget:
Shells for her pillow Amphitrite bringeth,
And sad nymphs of the dank weed weave her shroud;
Old Triton's horn her dirge to Ocean singeth,
Whose misty caverns swell the echo loud:
And, while the tides rock to and fro her bier,
What was Thaisa lies entombëd here.
Sleeps the long sleep denied to her by Earth;
We, adding sighs unto the wild winds' sighing,
With all our mourning under-mourn her worth:
The white waves toss their crested plumes above her,
Round sorrowing faces with the salt spray wet,
All are her lovers that once learned to love her,
And never may remember to forget:
Shells for her pillow Amphitrite bringeth,
And sad nymphs of the dank weed weave her shroud;
Old Triton's horn her dirge to Ocean singeth,
Whose misty caverns swell the echo loud:
And, while the tides rock to and fro her bier,
What was Thaisa lies entombëd here.
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IV.—HYMN TO NEPTUNE.
God of the steed and the spear and the Ocean,
Speed thou our barks o'er the wandering foam;
Steer us by reef, and by headland and island,
Outward and onward, and inward and home;
Hail to thee, Neptune! great Neptune, all hail!
Speed thou our barks o'er the wandering foam;
Steer us by reef, and by headland and island,
Outward and onward, and inward and home;
Hail to thee, Neptune! great Neptune, all hail!
Shaker of Earth and upheaver of Water,
Father of Triton and brother of Jove,
Thou at whose bidding Troy rose as a palm-tree,
Under whose branches her warriors strove,
Hail to thee, Neptune! great Neptune, all hail!
Father of Triton and brother of Jove,
Thou at whose bidding Troy rose as a palm-tree,
Under whose branches her warriors strove,
Hail to thee, Neptune! great Neptune, all hail!
Saturn begat thee, and Saturn devoured thee,
But to restore thee to mystical birth;
Neptune some style thee, some call thee Poseidon,
Many thy names as the races of Earth:
Hail to thee, Neptune! great Neptune, all hail!
But to restore thee to mystical birth;
Neptune some style thee, some call thee Poseidon,
Many thy names as the races of Earth:
Hail to thee, Neptune! great Neptune, all hail!
Deep in the sea lies thy palace at Ægæ,
Whence thou arisest to ride on the wave,
Yoking thy golden-maned, brazen-hoofed coursers,
Mighty to ruin, but powerful to save;
Hail to thee, Neptune! great Neptune, all hail!
Whence thou arisest to ride on the wave,
Yoking thy golden-maned, brazen-hoofed coursers,
Mighty to ruin, but powerful to save;
Hail to thee, Neptune! great Neptune, all hail!
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Clouds as thou biddest them gather and scatter,
Come at thy whisper and fly at thy nod;
Look then on us that bow down at thine altars,
King of the Ocean, the Mariners' God!
Hail to thee, Neptune! great Neptune, all hail!
Come at thy whisper and fly at thy nod;
Look then on us that bow down at thine altars,
King of the Ocean, the Mariners' God!
Hail to thee, Neptune! great Neptune, all hail!
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V.—THANKSGIVING ODE.
Enthroned upon a silver beam
Of perfect light,
Our lady reigns as doth beseem
The Queen of Night!
Whate'er thy pastime is,
Dian or Artemis,—
Whether as huntress fair and free,
With strong limbs bared in symmetry,
On sylvan heights the chase thou followest,—
Or veiled, and cold, and pure,
Distillest moonlight for the thirsting flowers,
Receive this hymn of ours,
Offered to thee, our sorrow's royal cure,
In that thou pitiest!
Of perfect light,
Our lady reigns as doth beseem
The Queen of Night!
Whate'er thy pastime is,
Dian or Artemis,—
Whether as huntress fair and free,
With strong limbs bared in symmetry,
On sylvan heights the chase thou followest,—
Or veiled, and cold, and pure,
Distillest moonlight for the thirsting flowers,
Receive this hymn of ours,
Offered to thee, our sorrow's royal cure,
In that thou pitiest!
To thee the grace, white friend of men,
For life restored,
And wife and daughter given again
To sire and lord;
To thee the glory is,
Dian and Artemis!—
Reigning a goddess chrysolite,
Encentred in thy palace-light,
Through thy fair moon the tides thou governest;
And from thy radiant throne,
All woman, bending to our passionate prayer,
Hast sent some spirit rare,
To give us back our jewels for our own,
Plucked from the spoiler's breast.
For life restored,
And wife and daughter given again
To sire and lord;
To thee the glory is,
Dian and Artemis!—
Reigning a goddess chrysolite,
Encentred in thy palace-light,
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And from thy radiant throne,
All woman, bending to our passionate prayer,
Hast sent some spirit rare,
To give us back our jewels for our own,
Plucked from the spoiler's breast.
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