214 



Ep'iirams, Fragments, (sfc. from the Greek. [0£t. 1, 



She died at the age of nineteen unmar- 

 red, and left behind htr not more than 

 three hundred verffs, on which the high- 

 t(t piaifes are beftowed by her admirers. — 

 An Ode to Fortitude which bears her 

 name, or, more properly, a fragment of 

 that ode, is prefeived ; and we have two 

 or three other poems ot her* wh'ch recom- 

 mend themfelves by an elegant and alFeft- 

 irg limplicity, but yet more by the re- 

 maikable refemblance which they bear to 

 the circumftances ofher own death. The 

 following is on one of her companions of 

 the name ot Baucis, which I have chang- 

 ed in my tranflation, as not being fuitable 

 to an Englifii ear. 



I mark the fpot where Juliet's allies He. 

 Whoe'er thou art who pafleftfilent by 

 This fin)ple column, grac'd by many a tear. 

 Call the fierce Monarch of the (hades fevere. 

 Thefe myftic ornaments too plainly fiiow 

 Th' unhappy fate of her who lies below. 

 With the fame torch that Hymen gladly led 

 Th' expefling virgin to the nuptial bed. 

 Her widow'd hufband lit the funeral pyre. 

 And faw the dreary flames of death afpire. 

 Thou too, oh Hymen, bad'ft the jocund day 

 That hail'd thy feftive feafon, die away, 1 

 Chang'd for tlic figh of woe and groan of J 

 deep difmay. 



She feems to have lingered round the 

 fpot endeaieil by the tomb of her beloved 

 affociate, and has defcribed to us the very 

 emblems that ornamented the fepulchre. 



2tiiX«i 1^ EipnJEf £jM.ai, ^ TrsySi/xi x^va-a-t. 

 Say, thou cold Marble, and thou weeping 



Urn, 

 And fculptor'd Syrens that appear to mourn. 

 And guard within my poor and fenfelefs dull, 

 Confign'd by fond affcdtion to your truft, 

 Say to the ftranner as he mufes nigh. 

 That Juliet's alhes here lamented lie, 

 Of noble lineage — that Erinne's love 

 Thus mourns the partner of her joys above. 



The Anthologia contains many epitaphs 

 en tins amiable poetefs ; that of Aniipa- 

 ter Sidonius is worthy of ouratteniion. 



naupoEjruf, &c. 

 Fjw were thy notes, Erinne, Ihortthylay, 

 But thy (hort lay the Mule herfelf haJ 

 giv'n ; 

 Thus never Ihall thy memory decay. 

 Nor night obfcure that fame which lives in 

 Heavn ; 



While we, th' unnumber'd bards of after- 

 time. 

 Sink in the folitary grave unfeen, 

 Unhonour'd reach Avernus' fabled clitne, 

 And leave no record that we once have 

 been. 



Sweet are the graceful fwan's melodious lays, 

 Tho' but a tT)pmcnt heard, and then they 

 die ; 

 But the long chattering of dtfcordant jays 

 The winds of April fcatter through the 

 iTcy. 



Befides Sappho and Erinne, feven other 

 names of female poets are mentioned in an 

 epigram by Aoiipater of Theiraionica, 

 who compiimenti the fair aflembly with 

 the title of the earthly Mufes. Of thefe, 

 Anyte receives the honourable title of the 

 female Homer. We cannot judge of the 

 propriety of this appellation by the little 

 poems which are tranfmitted to us in the 

 Anthologia ; but I will prefent two or 

 three fpecimens of t^efe, in order to give 

 the Englifli reader as much knowledge of 

 her merit as it is poffible at this time to 

 obtain. 



ON A STATVE OF VENUS ON THE SEA- 

 COAST. 



KuTrpiJof uTOf pfaijof, 

 Cythera, from this craggy fteep. 

 Looks downward on the glalTy deep. 

 And hither calls the breathing gale. 

 Propitious to the venturous fail ; 

 While Ocean flows beneath ferene, 

 Aw'd by the fmileof Beauty's Queen. 



TloWixi ToJ^J' o\(!<(>i;Jva. 

 In this fad tomb where Phillida is laid, 

 Ker Mother oft invokes the gentle (hade, 

 And calls, in hopelefs grief, on her who died 

 In the full bloom of youth and beauty'* 



pride. 

 Who left, a virgin, the bright realms of day. 

 On gloomy Acheron's pale coafts to ftray. 



It will ftrike every reader as a remark- 

 able circumllance, that the fubjeft of the 

 foregoing epigram, melancholy and poe- 

 tical as it is in itfelf, (hiuld have proved 

 the theme of fo many epigrams, efjiecially 

 of the female poets of Greece. Out of 

 the very few pieces preferved of Sippho 

 and Erinne, no Itfs than four are elegies 

 on the piemiture fate of fome fair compa- 

 nion ol their youth. There are two or 

 three more by Anyte fo the fame purpofe. 

 The foUowir.g has lome little variety. 



ITafSlvov AvTiSi'nv xaroSuf o/xof. 



Unbleft Antibia calls this mournful flrain. 

 The lovelieft Virgin of Diana's Train. 

 Gay gallant youths ador'd her as their God, 

 And lordly fuitors waited on her nod ; 

 But, to refift the powerof Fate, how vain 

 Is Beauty ! Flow afrefh my mournful ftrain ! 

 The Anthologia a!fo contains a few fpe- 

 cimen* from the compofitions of Myro, 

 Nofiis, and Praxilla. The fragnnent of a 

 Scolium by the latter is in commendation 

 of Admelus for honouring the virtuout. 



Thii 



