With fecret joy I heard her fay,
That he would never mifs one day
A walk fo fine, a fight fo gay.
But, oh the change! the winds grow high;
Impending tempefts charge the sky;
The lightning flies; the thunder roars ;
And big waves lash the frighten'd shores.
Struck with the horror of the fight,
She turns her head, and wings her flight;
And trembling vows, fhe 'll ne'er again
Approach the shore, or view the main.
Once more at least look back, faid I;
Thyself in that large glass descry:
When thou art in good-humour dreft;
When gentle reafon rules thy breast;
The fun upon the calmeft fea
Appears not half fo bright as thee:
'Tis then, that with delight I rove
Upon the boundless depth of love:
I blefs my chain; I hand my oar;
Nor think on all I left on shore.
But when vain doubt, and groundless fear
Do that dear foolish bofom tear;
When the big lip, and wat'ry eye
Tell me, the rifing ftorm is nigh:
'Tis then, thou art yon' angry main,
Deform'd by winds, and dafh'd by rain;
And the poor failor, that must try
It's fury, labours less than I.
Shipwreck'd, in vain to land I make ;
While Love and Fate still drive me back :
Forc'd to doat on thee thy own way,
I chide thee first, and then obey.
Wretched when from thee, vex'd when nigh,
I with thee, or without thee, die.
WHILE from the skies the ruddy fun defcends;
And rifing night the ev'ning fhade extends:
While pearly dews o'erspread the fruitful field;
And clofing flowers reviving odours yield:
Let us, beneath thefe fpreading trees, recite
What from our hearts our Mufes may indite,
Nor need we, in this close retirement, fear,
Left any swain our am'rous fecrets hear.
Afterwards the celebrated Mrs. Elizabeth Rowe. It is faid Mr. Prior once made his addreffes to this lady.
To ev'ry fhepherd I would mine proclaim; Since fair Aminta is my fofteft theme:
A ftranger to the loofe delights of love,
My thoughts the nobler warmth of friendship prove:
And, while it's pure and facred fire I fing,
Chafte goddess of the groves, thy fuccour bring.
Propitious God of Love, my breast inspire With all thy charms, with all thy pleafing fire: Propitious God of Love, thy fuccour bring ; Whilft I thy darling, thy Alexis fing. Alexis, as the opening bloffoms fair, Lovely as light, and foft as yielding air. For him each virgin fighs; and on the plains The happy youth above each rival reigns. Nor to the ecchoing groves, and whifp'ring spring, In fweeter strains does artful Conon fing; When loud applaufes fill the crouded groves; And Phoebus the fuperior fong approves.
Beauteous Aminta is as early light,
Breaking the melancholy shades of night,
When she is near, all anxious trouble flies;
And our reviving hearts confefs her eyes.
Young love, and blooming joy, and gay defires,
In ev'ry breaft the beauteous nymph inspires:
And on the plain when she no more appears,
The plain a dark and gloomy profpect wears.
In vain the ftreams roll on: the eastern breeze
Dances in vain among the trembling trees.
In vain the birds begin their ev'ning fong,
And to the filent night their notes prolong:
Nor groves, nor chrystal streams, nor verdant field
Does wonted pleasure in her abfence yield.
And in his abfence, all the pensive day,
In fome obfcure retreat I lonely stray ;
All day to the repeating caves complain,
In mournful accents, and a dying strain.
Dear lovely youth, I cry to all around:
Dear lovely youth, the flattering vales refound.
On flow'ry banks, by ev'ry murm'ring stream, Aminta is my Mufe's fofteft theme:
"Tis she that does my artful notes refine :
With fair Aminta's name my noblest verse shall shine,
I'll twine fresh garlands for Alexis' brows,
And confecrate to him eternal vows :
The charming youth fhall my Apollo prove :
He shall adorn my fongs, and tune my voice to love.
By Silvia if thy charming felf be meant;
If friendship be thy virgin vows extent;
O! let me in Aminta's praises join :
Her's my efteem fhall be, my paffion thine,
When for thy head the garland I prepare ;
A fecond Wreath shall bind Aminta's hair:
And when my choiceft fongs thy worth proclaim;
Alternate verse shall blefs Aminta's name;
My heart shall own the justice of her cause;
And Love himself fubmit to Friendship's laws.
But, if beneath thy numbers foft disguise,
Some favour'd fwain, fome true Alexis lyes;
If Amaryllis breaths thy fecret pains;
And thy fond heart beats measure to thy ftrains,
May'ft thou, howe'er I grieve, for ever find
The flame propitious, and the lover kind;
May Venus long exert her happy pow'r,
And make thy beauty, like thy verse, endure ;
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