 | Poems by Mrs. Robinson |  |
1
A PASTORAL BALLAD.
[Ye Shepherds who sport on the plain]
I
Ye Shepherds who sport on the plain,Drop a tear at my sorrowful tale,
My heart was a stranger to pain,
Till pierc'd by the pride of the vale.
When deck'd with his pipe and his crook,
A garland his temples did bind,
So sweetly the Shepherd did look,
I thought he cou'd not be unkind.
2
II
But alas! t'other day at the fair,(Sad story for me to relate,)
He bought ribbons for Phillis's hair,
For Phillis, the nymph that I hate.
Sweet songs to beguile the dull hours,
A crook, and a garland so fine,
A posie of May-blowing flowers,
Adorn'd with green myrtle and thyme.
III
Last week as they sat in the grove,Such sweetness his looks did impart,
Their converse I'm sure was of love,
And I fear, that it flow'd from his heart.
3
Such tender, such amorous lays,
Each accent that fell from his tongue,
Was blended with Phillis's praise.
IV
“My charmer, said he, is more fair,“Then the jessamine twin'd round my bow'r,
“What's thyme with her breath to compare,
“Or lavender after a show'r.
“The rose when compar'd with her cheek,
“Drooping downward with envy it dies,
“When Sol thro' a shower doth break—
“He's not half so bright as her eyes.”
4
V
Alas! if they never had met,I had not endur'd such keen woes,
I wish he would Phillis forget,
And yield my poor heart some repose.
Each day wou'd I sing thro' the grove,
Each moment devote to my swain.
But if he has settled his love,
My bosom is destin'd to pain.
VI
Adieu, to contentment and rest,Adieu, to my once lov'd repose,
For I fear I can never be bless'd,
Till death puts an end to my woes.
5
Take heed ah! ye nymphs by my fate,
Be careful to shun the false youth,
And with pity my story relate.
| Poems by Mrs. Robinson | |