His mother's doings-how Immortals yearn With fond desires, and how poor mortals burn. All I taught Eros I have quite forgot; But his love-ditties I forget them not. IDYL IV. THE POWER OF LOVE. THE Muses fear not, but with heart-love true And if one sings, with cold and loveless heart, IDYL V. LIFE TO BE ENJOYED. Ir sweet my songs, or these sufficient be At things we have not learned, and toil in vain. Have I to labour at them o'er and o'er ? If Saturn's son, and changeful Fate, assigned A double life-time to our mortal kind, That one in joys and one in woes be past, Who had his woes first would have joys at last. But since Heaven wills one life to man should fall, And this is brief very too brief for all We think to do, why should we fret and moil, And vex ourselves with never-ending toil? To what end waste we life, exhaust our health On gainful arts and sigh for greater wealth? We surely all forget our mortal state How brief the life allotted us by Fate ! IDYL VI. CLEODAMUS AND MYRSON. CLEODAMUS. WHAT Sweet for you has Summer or the Spring, Which season do you hail with most delight? Or lazy winter-since but few are loath To cheer themselves with fire-side ease and sloth? Or the spring blushing with its bloom of flowers? Tell me your choice, since leisure-time is ours, MYRSON. For man to judge things heavenly is unmeet, And all these seasons holy are and sweet. |