 | The Poetical Works of Aubrey De Vere |  |
V. TITIAN'S PICTURE OF BACCHUS AND ARIADNE.
Young Ariadne, by her lover ledThrough narrow mountain pass, or woodland glade
Rich with a thousand flowers, loved the shade
That o'er her modest steps a veil outspread:
Now, with slow tears she mourns that lover fled:
Her golden hair, half fallen from the braid,
Hath but a wavering protection made
For the fair brow; and from her glossy head
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When suddenly is thronged that barren place,
And youthful Bacchus, like a bursting wave
Leaps from his panther car with headlong grace.
—And will his godlike raptures please her more
Than calmer joys her mortal lover gave?
August 20, 1843.
| The Poetical Works of Aubrey De Vere | |