 | Poems upon several Occasions |  |
199
An ELEGY
To His Friend, who advis'd Him to desist from LOVE.
In vain, Sir, You advise me to depart
From Love, that has already seiz'd my Heart;
I cannot this Unruly Passion tame,
Suppress the Fury, or conceal my Flame;
Alas! 'tis hard a Remedy to find,
Or sooth this restless Calenture of Mind.
Can I, my Friend, can I stand by, and see
Panthea's Charms with Dull Indiff'rency?
Her Yellow Tresses unconcern'd behold,
That grace her iv'ry Neck with burnish'd Gold?
While her round swelling Breasts in Whiteness rise,
And with Resistless Fires She rolls her wanton Eyes?
Can I see this, ye Gods, and yet forbear
Heaping impatient Kisses on the Fair?
Kisses! that on her Lips shall leave display'd
Th' am'rous Signs, my ardent Transports made?
Perish the cautious Wretch,—who thus can rule
His fierce Desires;—ah! perish the dull Fool,
Curse on the Sot, who so discreet can prove,
Thus to command his Passion, and his Love:
Let Her be guarded with Officious Spies,
Her Mother's Fears, and Husband's Jealousies;
To Cens'ring Coxcombs let my Love be known,
And whisper'd round by ev'ry Fool in Town,
Till Murmurs, and the common Breath of Fame
Loudly divulge, and spread abroad my Flame:
I the vain Murmurs of those Fools despise,
With her stern Lord's quick-sighted Jealousies,
And the old Mother's ever watchful Eyes.
I wou'd my Love shou'd court the publick Ear
Of noisy Fops, that crowd each Theatre;
Let 'em grudge me Success, while they despair.
From Love, that has already seiz'd my Heart;
I cannot this Unruly Passion tame,
Suppress the Fury, or conceal my Flame;
Alas! 'tis hard a Remedy to find,
Or sooth this restless Calenture of Mind.
Can I, my Friend, can I stand by, and see
Panthea's Charms with Dull Indiff'rency?
Her Yellow Tresses unconcern'd behold,
That grace her iv'ry Neck with burnish'd Gold?
While her round swelling Breasts in Whiteness rise,
And with Resistless Fires She rolls her wanton Eyes?
200
Heaping impatient Kisses on the Fair?
Kisses! that on her Lips shall leave display'd
Th' am'rous Signs, my ardent Transports made?
Perish the cautious Wretch,—who thus can rule
His fierce Desires;—ah! perish the dull Fool,
Curse on the Sot, who so discreet can prove,
Thus to command his Passion, and his Love:
Let Her be guarded with Officious Spies,
Her Mother's Fears, and Husband's Jealousies;
To Cens'ring Coxcombs let my Love be known,
And whisper'd round by ev'ry Fool in Town,
Till Murmurs, and the common Breath of Fame
Loudly divulge, and spread abroad my Flame:
I the vain Murmurs of those Fools despise,
With her stern Lord's quick-sighted Jealousies,
And the old Mother's ever watchful Eyes.
201
Of noisy Fops, that crowd each Theatre;
Let 'em grudge me Success, while they despair.
Thus the first Lovers did their Joys dispense
In happy Freedom, tender Innocence;
In gentle Pairs the blooming Nymphs, and Swains
Met and caress'd upon the flow'ry Plains;
In soft Discourse, gay Sports, and artless Play
They entertain'd the Hours, prolong'd the Day;
A Thousand tender Things they look'd, and said,
And whisp'ring Sighs their yielding Hearts betray'd:
Their naked Beauties charm'd the ravish'd Sight,
Till Love provok'd each other to Delight:
Exchanging Lips, their panting Breasts they join'd,
The Youths were constant, and the Virgins kind.
Let Others seem reserv'd, Disguises try,
And mask their Love in mean Hypocrisy;
Our good Old Fathers Frankness I approve,
And by their Standard regulate my Love:
Is it a Fault, or has it ever been
To pay Obedience to the Cyprian Queen?
If so, nor Heav'n, nor Gods themselves can be
Absolv'd from Censures and Impiety.
Fair Ariadne's Eyes so bright did shine,
They doubly cou'd enrage the God of Wine;
Beauty the God of Day with Love inspires,
And with new Force augments his former Fires.
For Love Great Jove a Thousand Forms put on,
Forms that were all more pow'rful than his own,
The am'rous Lowings of a Bull cou'd do
More than his Godhead, and his Thunder too;
Europa made him leave his Bright Abode,
And to be Happy, he depos'd the God.
In happy Freedom, tender Innocence;
In gentle Pairs the blooming Nymphs, and Swains
Met and caress'd upon the flow'ry Plains;
In soft Discourse, gay Sports, and artless Play
They entertain'd the Hours, prolong'd the Day;
A Thousand tender Things they look'd, and said,
And whisp'ring Sighs their yielding Hearts betray'd:
Their naked Beauties charm'd the ravish'd Sight,
Till Love provok'd each other to Delight:
Exchanging Lips, their panting Breasts they join'd,
The Youths were constant, and the Virgins kind.
Let Others seem reserv'd, Disguises try,
And mask their Love in mean Hypocrisy;
202
And by their Standard regulate my Love:
Is it a Fault, or has it ever been
To pay Obedience to the Cyprian Queen?
If so, nor Heav'n, nor Gods themselves can be
Absolv'd from Censures and Impiety.
Fair Ariadne's Eyes so bright did shine,
They doubly cou'd enrage the God of Wine;
Beauty the God of Day with Love inspires,
And with new Force augments his former Fires.
For Love Great Jove a Thousand Forms put on,
Forms that were all more pow'rful than his own,
The am'rous Lowings of a Bull cou'd do
More than his Godhead, and his Thunder too;
Europa made him leave his Bright Abode,
And to be Happy, he depos'd the God.
203
Then, Dearest, let us live, and close pursue
The Pleasures Love, and Beauty prompt us to;
Th' Examples follow that the Gods have giv'n,
Nor think that Sin, which is approv'd by Heav'n.
If 'tis a Sin, 'tis such as I wou'd chuse,
For Her I, like the Gods, wou'd Heav'n refuse:
Nay, I shou'd think it as a Judgment sent,
If for so sweet a Crime I shou'd relent,
Or ever be so graceless to repent.
The Pleasures Love, and Beauty prompt us to;
Th' Examples follow that the Gods have giv'n,
Nor think that Sin, which is approv'd by Heav'n.
If 'tis a Sin, 'tis such as I wou'd chuse,
For Her I, like the Gods, wou'd Heav'n refuse:
Nay, I shou'd think it as a Judgment sent,
If for so sweet a Crime I shou'd relent,
Or ever be so graceless to repent.
| Poems upon several Occasions | |