Poems on Several Occasions With some Select Essays in Prose. In Two Volumes. By John Hughes; Adorn'd with Sculptures |
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Apollo and Daphne.
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Poems on Several Occasions | ||
Apollo and Daphne.
A CANTATA.
Recitative.
Daphne , the Beautiful, the Coy,Along the winding Shore of Peneus flew,
To shun Love's tender, offer'd Joy;
Tho' 'twas a God that did her Charms pursue.
While thus APOLLO, in a moving Strain,
Awak'd his Lyre, and softly breath'd his Amorous Pain.
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AIR.
Fairest Mortal! Stay and hear;Cannot Love with Musick join'd,
Touch thy unrelenting Mind?
Turn thee, leave thy trembling Fear;
Fairest Mortal! Stay and hear;
Cannot Love with Musick join'd,
Touch thy unrelenting Mind?
Recitative.
The River's echoing Banks with Pleasure did prolongThe sweetly warbled Sounds, and murmur'd with the Song.
DAPHNE fled swifter, in Despair,
To 'scape the God's Embrace:
And to the Genius of the Place,
She sigh'd this wondrous Pray'r:
AIR.
Father PENEUS, hear me, aid me!Let some sudden Change invade me;
Fix me rooted on thy Shore.
Cease, APOLLO, to persuade me;
I am DAPHNE now no more.
Father PENEUS, hear me, aid me!
Let some sudden Change invade me;
Fix me rooted on thy Shore.
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Recitative.
APOLLO wond'ring stood to seeThe Nymph transform'd into a Tree.
Vain were his Lyre, his Voice, his Tuneful Art,
His Passion, and his Race Divine;
Nor cou'd th'Eternal Beams that round his Temples shine,
Melt the Cold Virgin's frozen Heart.
AIR.
Nature alone can Love inspire;Art is vain to move Desire.
If Nature once the Fair incline,
To their own Passion they resign.
Nature alone can Love inspire;
Art is vain to move Desire.
Poems on Several Occasions | ||