lay playing with the covering of the bed -The Goddess, his fair mother, unbeguiled a pretty torment both for gods and men your father made when he made you!' 'Dear mother,' replied sly Hermes-' wherefore scold and bother?' P. H. SHELLEY 1299 MY MOLOCH'S SPEECH Of wiles, Y sentence is for open war. against the torturer: when to meet the noise infernal thunder, and for lightning see mixed with Tartarean sulphur and strange fire, J. MILTON 1300 "COUR THE LOTOS-EATERS " OURAGE!" he said, and pointed toward the land, "this mounting wave will roll us shoreward soon.' In the afternoon they came unto a land, in which it seeméd always afternoon. All round the coast the languid air did swoon, from the inner land: far off, three mountain-tops, stood sunset-flushed: and, dewed with showery drops, up-clomb the shadowy pine above the woven copse. The charméd sunset lingered low adown in the red West: thro' mountain clefts the dale a land where all things always seemed the same! They sat them down upon the yellow sand, 34 most weary seem'd the sea, weary the oar, A. TENNYSON 1301 ON THE DEATH OF SHELLEY HIS morn thy gallant bark THIS sailed on a sunny sea, 'tis noon and tempests dark By spirits of the deep Thou sleep'st upon the shore The spirits of the deep, I heard a loud lament, from ocean's caverns sent. the spirits of the deep, they raise a wail of sorrow, while I for ever weep. M. SHELLEY 1302 THE SHEPHERD ENTANGLED IN LOVE T was upon a Iwhen shepherds groomes have leave to play, I cast to go a shooting; long wandring up and downe the land, with bow and bolts in either hand, for birdes in bushes tooting, 1303 at length within the yvie todde, but then heard no more rustling. but were it faerie, feend or snake, his gylden quiver at his backe, that seeing, I leveld againe, and shotte at him with might and maine, So long I shott, that all was spent; he was so wimble and so wight, and now it ranckleth more and more, ne wote I how to cease it. E. SPENSER VAIN ALEXIS AND DORA AIN were the days of my youth, most vain were my dreams of the future; they all crumble apace; nothing endures but one hour. Yes, it endures, my bliss is enduring: I hold thee, my Dora: hope has one image to shew; Dora, that image is thine. Oft had I seen thee repair in thy maidenly garb to the temple, whilst thy mother would walk solemnly close by thy side. Early thou hastenedst ever to carry thy fruit to the market. O how nobly thy head bore up the pitcher on high, when from the fountain thou camest! how stately thy throat and thy neck rose! every motion thou madest, harmony guided them all. Often I watcht with uneasy alarm lest the pitcher should tumble; but on the round striped cloth steadily onward it sailed. Thus, my beautiful neighbour, I daily was wont to behold thee, as one beholdeth the stars, or as one looks at the moon. Gladly we see them again and again; but the bosom is quiet, joying contentedly;-no wish to possess them is felt. Year after year rolled past me: but twenty paces asunder stood our dwellings; and yet ne'er have I entered her door. Now divides us the wide blank sea. False mirror of Heaven, Ocean, thy glorious blue is but the colour of night. All were already in motion; the boy came hastily running up to my father's house, bidding me hie to the shore. Come, they are hoisting the sail, and it flaunts with the breezes, thus spake he; now too the anchor mounts, tearing its fangs from the sand. Cries of impatience resound from the shore: my feet as if fastened cling to the ground; I exclaim, Dora, and art thou then mine? |