As for myself, 'tis nought; but thy fair fame
Will suffer in proportion to thy blame.

Of late my ears an odious rumour stung-
Through all the town the shameful story rung.
“A wicked tongue thou'lt surely ne'er believe ;
For fee the fair did scandal aye receive."
With mixing poison charged thou'st never been;
Phoebus, thou'lt witness be those hands are clean!
One frolic-night or two I'd not reprove ;
Such trifling errors ne'er mine anger move.

Helen left home to feed a stranger's flame,

Yet back was brought, and lived absolved from blame.
Venus, though once to Mars she gave her love,
Was ne'er less honoured in the realms above.
No, not though Ida tells she loved of old,
And lay with shepherd Paris 'mid his fold.
The Hamadryads did their dalliance view,
The old Sileni, sire Silenus too,

With whom, O Paris! in the Idaean grot
You gathered apples, taking oft, I wot,
The gifts your hand from fair Oenone got.

In such a hive of harlots, asks one why

}

This girl's so rich ?-whose? whence the vast supply?
O Rome! in this our time, of bliss how full !
If but one girl transgress the golden rule!
Who Tatian worth and virtuous Sabine home
Seeks here, has but of late set foot in Rome.
Thou'lt sooner drain the sea that laps the land,
And pluck the stars on high with mortal hand,
Than make our maids their love of sin restrain-
A custom that obtained in Saturn's reign,

And when Deucalion's flood the world flowed round, And since Deucalion's flood of old renowned.

Where is the bed that aye unstained was known?
What goddess ever loved one god alone?
The wife of mighty Minos e'en, they say,
The grim bull's milk-white form once led astray.
And Danaë, too, with brazen wall encased,
Could not deny great Jove, though erewhile chaste.

If Greek and Latin queans thy patterns be,
I'll judge thee not; live as thou wilt for me.

XXV.

TO CYNTHIA.

Tristia jam redeunt iterum solennia nobis.

THOSE drear solemnities draw round once more,

And Cynthia now has vowed ten penance-nights ; Ah! perish Io, who from Nile's warm shore To our Ausonian matrons sent her rites!

She who so oft has severed love from love
Was ever loathsome—be she who she may.
Thou, Io, erst in secret loved of Jove,

Didst surely feel the toils of many a way,

What time with horns stern Juno marred thy brow,
And merged thine accents in a heifer's roar.
How often oak-leaves hurt thy mouth ere now,
Thy home a shed when grazing-time was o'er !

Since Jove did thee from heifer-form recall,
Hast thou a haughty deity become?
Was Egypt with its dusky maids too small?
Why hast thou travelled all the way to Rome?

What gain'st thou if alone our ladies lie?

Again thy brow shall be with horns o'ergrown,
Harsh one! or from our city thou shalt fly :
To Nile no favour e'er hath Tiber shown.

But thou, too well appeased by all my woe,

Cynthia, those nights once o'er, to love give rein. Thou hear'st not: no; thou mock'st my words, although Icarion's steers now turn the lazy wain.

Late, late thou drink'st-not midnight bids thee rise;
And canst thou tireless still the dice endure?
Ah! perish he who grapeward cast his eyes,
And first with nectar spoiled the water pure!

Thee Attic hinds, Icarion, justly slew;

Thou know'st how bitter is the breath of wine:

To wine, Eurytion, thy death was due;

To Thracian juice, O Polyphemus! thine.

Wine ruins beauty, saps the strength of years;
In wine doth woman oft her lord forget.

Ah me! how little changed my girl appears,

Deep though she drink!-drink on, thou'rt charming yet.

Unharmed though to thy cups the wreaths droop low,
And from thy lips my love-lays slowly roll:
More freely let the ripe Falernian flow,

And foam more mellow in the golden bowl.

Yet loath to bed her way lone maiden wends,
Love keeps her brooding o'er forbidden joys;
More deeply yearns the heart for absent friends :
Even of the leal the long possession cloys.

XXVI.

TO LYNCEUS.*

Cur quisquam faciem dominae jam credat amico?

WHY trust a mistress' beauty to a friend?
'Twas thus I wellnigh lost my darling rare.
Well tried I speak: in love all faith doth end;
Each for himself would ever win the fair.

Love breaks up kinship, severs friends, I ween,
And calls to baleful arms the happy band:

A guest robbed Menelaus of his queen;

The Colchian maiden sought a stranger's hand.

* For a scheme of the arrangement of the lines in this Elegy, see Notes in Appendix.

Lynceus, couldst thou thus with my darling deal?

False one! did not thy hands drop numb the while? What? had she not been firm and true as steel, Couldst thou have lived in villany so vile?

Stab me-with poison take my life away;

But leave, oh leave my mistress all to me! Thou'lt be my dearest, closest comrade, yea, All that I have I give in charge to thee.

O keep from her, and leave her all mine own!.
I cannot brook even Jove as rival here;
I dread my very shadow when alone,

And, foolish, tremble oft from foolish fear.

Yet for one cause I pass thine error by—
Wine made thy words in mazy wanderings flow;
Ne'er more affected frown will cheat mine eye,
For all, even Lynceus, now love's blessings know.

In age my Lynceus raves, love-smitten sore:

I'm glad thou, too, rever'st the gods we praise: What now avails thy deep Socratic lore,

Or power of telling Nature's wondrous ways?

Or what thy study of the Athenian strains?

Thine aged favourite soothes not hearts love-torn. Wouldst shun Antimachus' and Homer's pains? The straight-limbed maiden views the gods with scorn.

No woman broods o'er mundane problems here;
Why Luna's pangs from Phoebus' steeds can be—
If dwells a judge beyond the Stygian mere

Or the bolt thunders by great Heaven's decree.

* Nec si post Stygias aliquid rest arbiter undas.—(Munro.)