Did piteous lazars oft attend her door?
She gave-farewell the parent of the poor.
Youth, age, and want, once cheer'd, now fighing fwell, Blefs her lov'd name, and weep a laft farewel.
TO A YOUNG WIDOW LADY.
ADIEU, ye rocks that witness'd once my flame,
Return'd my fighs, and echo'd Chloe's name! Cambria, farewell!--my Chloe's charms no more Invite my steps along Llanelly's fhore; There no wild dens conceal voracious foes, The beach no fierce, amphibious monster knows ; No crocodile there flefh'd with prey appears, And o'er that bleeding prey weeps cruel tears; No falfe hyena, feigning human grief,
There murders him, whofe goodness means relief: 10
Yet tides, confpiring with unfaithful ground,
Though distant feen, with treacherous arms, furround.
There quickfands, thick as beauty's fnares, annoy,
Look fair to tempt, and whom they tempt, destroy.
I watch'd the feas, I pac'd the fands with care,
Efcap'd, but wildly rush'd on beauty's fnare.
N 4
Ah!-better far, than by that finare overpow'd,
Had fands engulf'd me, or had feas devour'd.
Far from that fhore, where fyren-beauty dwells, And wraps sweet ruin in resistless spells;
From Cambrian plains; which Chloe's luftre boast, Me native England yields a fafer coaft.
Chloe, farewell!-Now feas, with boisterous pride, Divide us, and will ever far divide:
Yet while each plant, which vernal youth resumes, 25
Feels the green blood afcend in future blooms;
While little feather'd songsters of the air
In woodlands tuneful woo and fondly pair,
The Muse exults, to beauty tunes the lyre,
And willing Loves the fwelling notes infpire.
Sure on this day, when hope attains success, Bright Venus firft did young Adonis blefs. Her charms not brighter, Chloe, sure than thine; Though flush'd his youth, not more his warmth than mine.
Sequefter'd far within a myrtle grove,
Whose blooming bofom courts retiring love;
Where a clear fun, the blue ferene difplays,
And sheds, through vernal air, attemper'd rays;
Where flowers their aromatic incense bring,
And fragrant flourish in eternal spring;
There mate to mate each dove responsive coos,
While this affents, as that enamour'd woos.
There rills amufive, fend from rocks around,
A folitary, pleafing, murmuring found;
Then form a limpid lake. The lake ferene
Reflects the wonders of the blissful scene.
To love the birds attune their chirping throats,
And on each breeze immortal mufic floats.
There, feated on a rifing turf is feen,
Graceful, in loofe array, the Cyprian queen;
All fresh and fair, all mild, as Ocean gave
The goddess, rifing from the azure wave;
Difhevel'd locks diftil celestial dews,
And all her limbs, divine perfumes diffuse.
Her voice fo charms, the plumy, warbling throngs, 55
In liftening wonder loft, suspend their fongs.
It founds" Why loiters my Adonis?"-cry,
"Why loiters my Adonis ?"-rocks reply.
"Oh, come away!"-they thrice, repeating, fay;
And Echo thrice repeats," Oh, come away!"— 60
Kind zephyrs waft them to her lover's ears ;
Who, inftant at th' inchanting call, appears.
Her placid eye, where sparkling joy refines,
Benignant, with alluring luftre fhines.
His locks, which, in loose ringlets, charm the view, 65
Float careless, lucid from their amber hue.
A myrtle wreath her rofy fingers frame,
Which, from her hand, his polish'd temples claim ;
His temples fair, a streaking beauty stains,
As fmooth white marble fhines with azure veins. 70
He kneel'd. Her fnowy hand he trembling feiz'd,
Juft lifted to his lip, and gently squeez'd;
The meaning fqueeze return'd, love caught its lore
And enter'd, at his palm, through every pore.
Then fwell'd her downy breasts, till then enclos'd, 75
Faft-heaving, half-conceal'd and half-expos'd:
Soft the reclines. He, as they fall and rife,
Hangs, hovering o'er them, with enamour'd eyes,
And, warm'd, grows wanton-As he thus admir'd,
He pry'd, he touch'd, and, with the touch was fir'd.
Half-angry, yet half-pleas'd, her frown beguiles
The boy to fear; but, at his fear, the finiles.
The youth lefs timorous and the fair lofs coy,
Supinely amorous they reclining toy.
More amorous ftill his fanguine meanings Lole
In wistful glances, to her softening soul :
In her fair eye her softening foul he reads:
To freedom, freedom, boon, to boon, fucceeds.
With conscious blush, th' impaffion'd charmer burns;
And, blush for blush, th' impaffion'd youth returns. go
They look, they languifh, figh with pleasing pain,
And with and gaze, and gaze and wish again.
'Twixt her white, parting bosom steals the boy,
And more than hope preludes tumultuous joy;
Through every vein the vigorous tranfport ran, 95
Strung every nerve, and brac'd the boy to man.
Struggling, yet yielding, half o'erpower'd, fhe pants,
Seems to deny, and yet, denying, grants.
Quick, like the tendrils of a curling vine,
Fond limbs with limbs, in amorous folds, entwine. 100 Lips prefs on lips, careffing and careft,
darts flame to eye, and breast to breast. All the refigns, as dear defires incite,
And rapt he reach'd the brink of full delight.
Her waist comprefs'd in his exulting arms,
He ftorms, explores, and rifles all her charms;
Clafps in ecstatic blifs th' expiring fair,
And, thrilling, melting, nestling, riots there.
How long the rapture lafts, how foon it fleets,
How oft it paufes, and how oft repeats;
What joys they both receive and both bestow,
Virgins may guess, but wives experienc'd know:
From joys, like thefe, (ah, why deny'd to me?)
Sprung a fresh, blooming boy, my fair, from thee.
May he, a new Adonis, lift his creft,
In all the florid grace of youth confest!
First let him learn to lifp your lover's name,
And, when he reads, here annual read my flame.
When beauty first shall wake his genial fire,
And the firft tingling fenfe excite defire;
When the dear object, of his peace pofleft,
Gains and still gains on his unguarded breast :
Then may he fay, as he this verfe reviews,
So my bright mother charm'd the poet's Muse.
His heart thus flutter'd oft 'twixt doubt and fear, 125
Lighten'd with hope, and fadden'd with despair.
Say, on fome rival did she smile too kind?
Ah, read-what jealousy diftracts his mind!
Smil'd the on him? He imag'd rays divine,
And gaz'd and gladden'd with a love like mine. 130
How dwelt her praise upon his raptur'd tongue!
Ah !-when the frown'd, what plaintive notes he fung!
And could the frown on him-Ah, wherefore, tell!
On him, whose only crime was loving well?
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