And his Amelia were a matchless pair;
With equal virtue form'd, and equal grace,
The fame, distinguish'd by their sex alone:
Hers the mild luftre of the blooming morn,
And his the radiance of the risen day,
They lov'd: but such their guileless paffion was,
As in the dawn of time inform'd the heart
Of innocence, and undissembling truth.
'Twas friendship heighten'd by the mutual wifh, 1180
Th' enchanting hope, and fympathetic glow,
Beam'd from the mutual eye. Devoting all
To love, each was to each a dearer self;
Supremely happy in th' awaken'd power
Of giving joy. Alone, amid the fhades,
Still in harmonious intercourfe they liv'd
The rural day, and talk'd the flowing heart,
Or figh'd and look'd unutterable things.
So pafs'd their life, a clear united stream,
By care unruffled; till, in evil hour,
The tempeft caught them on the tender walk,
Heedlefs how far, and where its mazes ftray'd,
While, with each other bleft, creative love
Still bade eternal Eden fmile around.
Prefaging inftant fate, her bosom heav'd
Unwonted fighs, and stealing oft a look
Of the big gloom on Celadon her
Fell tearful, wetting her disorder'd cheek.
In vain affuring love, and confidence
In Heaven, reprefs'd her fear; it grew, and shook
Her frame near diffolution. He perceiv'd
Th' unequal conflict; and as angels look On dying faints, his eyes compaffion fhed, With love illumin'd high. "Fear not, he said, "Sweet innocence! thou ftranger to offence, "And inward storm! He, who yon skies involves "In frowns of darkness, ever smiles on thee "With kind regard. O'er thee the secret shaft "That wastes at midnight, or th' undreaded hour "Of noon, flies harmlefs: and that very voice, "Which thunders terror through the guilty heart, "With tongues of feraphs whispers peace to thine. "'Tis fafety to be near thee fure, and thus "To clasp perfection!" From his void embrace, Myfterious heaven! that moment, to the ground, 1215 A blacken'd corfe, was struck the beauteous maid. But who can paint the lover, as he stood, Pierc'd by fevere amazement, hating life, Speechlefs, and fix'd in all the death of woe! So, faint resemblance! on the marble tomb, The well-diffembled mourner stooping stands, For ever filent, and for ever fad.
As from the face of heaven the shatter'd clouds
Tumultuous rove, th' interminable sky
Sublimer fwells, and o'er the world expands
A purer azure. Through the lighten'd air
A higher luftre and a clearer calm,
Diffufive, tremble; while, as if in sign
Of danger paft, a glittering robe of joy,
Set off abundant by the yellow ray,
Invests the fields; and nature smiles reviv’d.
'Tis beauty all, and grateful fong around,
Join'd to the low of kine, and numerous bleat
Of flocks thick-nibbling through the clover'd vale.
And fhall the hymn be marr'd by thanklefs man, 1235
Moft favour'd; who with voice articulate
Should lead the chorus of this lower world?
Shall he, fo foon forgetful of the hand
That hush'd the thunder, and ferenes the sky,
Extinguifh'd feel that fpark the tempeft wak'd,
That fenfe of powers exceeding far his own,
his feeble heart has loft its fears?
Chear'd by the milder beam, the sprightly youth
Speeds to the well-known pool, whofe cryftal depth
A fandy bottom fhews. A while he ftands
Gazing th' inverted landskip, half afraid
To meditate the blue profound below;
Then plunges headlong down the circling flood.
His ebon treffes and his rofy cheek
Inflant emerge; and through th' obedient wave,
At each fhort breathing by his lip repel'd,
With arms and legs according well, he makes,
As humour leads, an eafy-winding path:
While, from his polish'd fides, a dewy light
Effufes on the pleas'd fpectators round.
This is the pureft exercise of health,
The kind refresher of the fummer heats;
Nor, when cold Winter keens the brightening flood,
Would I weak-fhivering linger on the brink.
Thus life redoubles, and is oft preferv'd,
By the bold fwimmer, in the fwift illapfe
Of accident difaftrous. Hence the limbs
Knit into force; and the fame Roman arm,
That rofe victorious o'er the conquer'd earth,
Firft learn'd, while tender, to fubdue the wave.
Ev'n from the body's purity, the mind
Receives a fecret fympathetic aid.
Clofe in the covert of an hazel copfe,
Where winded into pleasing folitudes
Runs out the rambling dale, young Damon fat, 1270
Penfive, and pierc'd with love's delightful pangs.
There to the ftream that down the diftant rocks
Hoarse-murmuring fell, and plaintive breeze that play'd Among the bending willows, falfely he
Of Mufidora's cruelty complain'd.
She felt his flame; but deep within her breast,
In bashful coyness, or in maiden pride,
The foft return conceal'd; fave when it ftole
In fide-long glances from her downcast eye,
Or from her fwelling foul in ftifled fighs.
Touch'd by the scene, no stranger to his vows,
He fram'd a melting lay, to try her heart;.,
And, if an infant paffion ftruggled there,
To call that paffion forth. Thrice happy fwain!
A lucky chance, that oft decides the fate,
Of mighty monarchs, then decided thine..
For, lo! conducted by the laughing Loves,
This cool retreat his Musidora sought :...
Warm in her cheek the fultry feason, glow'd;
And, rob'd in loose array,, fhe came to bathe
Her fervent limbs in the refreshing stream.
What fhall he do? In fweet confufion loft,
And dubious flutterings, he a while remain'd:
A pure ingenuous elegance of foul,
A delicate refinement, known to few,
Perplex'd his breast, and urg'd him to retire :
But love forbade. Ye prudes in virtue, say,
Say, ye fevereft, what would you have done?
Meantime, this fairer nymph than ever blest
Arcadian stream, with timid eye around
The banks furveying, strip'd her beauteous limbs,
To taste the lucid coolness of the flood.
Ah, then not Paris on the piny top
Of Ida panted stronger, when afide
The rival-goddesses the veil divine
Caft unconfin'd, and gave him all their charms,
Than, Damon, thou; as from the fnowy leg,
And flender foot, th' inverted filk fhe drew;
As the foft touch diffolv'd the virgin zone;
And, through the parting robe, th' alternate breaft,
With youth wild-throbbing, on thy lawless gaze
In full luxuriance rofe. But, defperate youth,
How durft thou rifque the foul-distracting view;
As from her naked limbs, of glowing white,
Harmonious fwell'd by Nature's finest hand,
In folds loofe-floating fell the fainter lawn ;
And fair-expos'd she stood, fhrunk from herself,
With fancy blufhing, at the doubtful breeze
Alarm'd, and starting like the fearful fawn?
Then to the flood the rufh'd; the parted flood
Its lovely gueft with closing waves receiv'd;
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