Historical & Legendary Ballads & Songs By Walter Thornbury. Illustrated by J. Whistler, F. Walker, John Tenniel, J. D. Watson, W. Small, F. Sandys, G. J. Pinwell, T. Morten, M. J. Lawless, and many others |
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The Search of Ceres for Proserpine.
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 | Historical & Legendary Ballads & Songs |  |
The Search of Ceres for Proserpine.
[_]
[When Pluto carried off Proserpine, as she was gathering flowers in the Vale of Enna, Ceres lit a torch at the flames of Ætna, and sought for her through the world.]
The black pines of Hermes' chasms
Toss the white snow from their branches,
Now that hush the thunder-spasms,
And its dark rain winter stanches;
Where from mosses oozing, weeping,
Leap the rivers swift as leopards,
Down the crags that shadow sleeping,
Wrapp'd in wolf-skins, the arm'd shepherds,
Where the glittering snow-peaks shine,
Ceres seeks for Proserpine.
Toss the white snow from their branches,
Now that hush the thunder-spasms,
And its dark rain winter stanches;
Where from mosses oozing, weeping,
Leap the rivers swift as leopards,
Down the crags that shadow sleeping,
Wrapp'd in wolf-skins, the arm'd shepherds,
Where the glittering snow-peaks shine,
Ceres seeks for Proserpine.
Where from Ætna's cliff Asopus
Hurries, singing in his glee,
Louder than the swift Eurotas,
Glad as slave just broken free,
Singing like a rambling truant,
Shouting an unceasing pæan,
Through the meads its waters fluent
Hurry to the bright Ægean;
There past olive and past vine,
Ceres seeks for Proserpine.
Hurries, singing in his glee,
Louder than the swift Eurotas,
Glad as slave just broken free,
Singing like a rambling truant,
Shouting an unceasing pæan,
Through the meads its waters fluent
Hurry to the bright Ægean;
There past olive and past vine,
Ceres seeks for Proserpine.
Where on Parnes blossom flowers,
And the wild boar whets its tushes,
Where 'mid rocks and ivy bowers,
From its cave the river rushes;
Where the bees upon the heather
Murmur like a nation praying,
Singing, singing all together,
For the latest sunbeam staying;
Where the olive-branches twine,
Ceres seeks for Proserpine.
And the wild boar whets its tushes,
Where 'mid rocks and ivy bowers,
From its cave the river rushes;
Where the bees upon the heather
Murmur like a nation praying,
Singing, singing all together,
For the latest sunbeam staying;
Where the olive-branches twine,
Ceres seeks for Proserpine.
Down Caïster swans are floating,
Struggling through the pliant reeds,
And the hovering hawk is gloating
O'er the cygnet as it feeds;
Where the bladed flags are bending,
Like Narcissus, o'er the stream,
Watching with a joy unending
In the wave their blossoms gleam;
By those waters hyaline
Ceres seeks for Proserpine.
Struggling through the pliant reeds,
And the hovering hawk is gloating
O'er the cygnet as it feeds;
Where the bladed flags are bending,
Like Narcissus, o'er the stream,
Watching with a joy unending
In the wave their blossoms gleam;
By those waters hyaline
Ceres seeks for Proserpine.
115
Where round the Symplegades
Like wild beasts the waves are roaring,
Or above the Cyclades
The sea-eagle's restless soaring;
Where her monsters Scylla's driving,
As the tempest howls in madness,
And the dying seaman's striving
To clutch fast the reef in sadness,
O'er the sands that gleam and shine,
Ceres seeks for Proserpine.
Like wild beasts the waves are roaring,
116
The sea-eagle's restless soaring;
Where her monsters Scylla's driving,
As the tempest howls in madness,
And the dying seaman's striving
To clutch fast the reef in sadness,
O'er the sands that gleam and shine,
Ceres seeks for Proserpine.
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