1 805. ] Epigrams y Fragments, i^c. from the Vreth 



317 



and from that moment lived (as much a« 

 poflible) every hour of his time in fefti- 

 vity, turning night into day, and giving 

 up his whole foul tq the full indulgence 

 of hisfenfes.* 



But -when applied to love, this argument 

 has double force. •' Life is lliort (the 

 lover may fay), but (hort as it is, the pe- 

 riod allotted to the duration of beauty and 

 vigour, of the nidination and the power of 

 enjoyment, is but a fmall portion even of 

 that confined fpace of time. 

 Gather therefore the rofe while yet is time, 

 (For fooii comes age that will htr pride de- 



flow'r] 

 Gather the rofe of love while yet is time, 

 While loving thou ma) 'ft loved be with 



equal crime. Spenser. 



So the Greek poet addrelTes the miflrefs 

 yvhofe cruel repulfe he has experienced. 



CifiJn TrapOsvinj. 

 Still glorying in thy virgin-flow'r ? 



Yet in the gloomy (hides of hell 

 No lovers will adorn thy bow'r — 



Love'? pleal'ures with the living dwell. 

 Virgin ! we fliall be dull alone 

 On the fad ftiors of Acheron. 



Venus, in an ancient gem, is reprefent- 

 ed with a wreath of roles in her hand, to 

 indicate the (hort duration of amorous 

 pleafures ; and thus in effeft the very 

 fame emblem has been made ufe of in fc- 

 yeral beiutiful epigrams. The firft I 

 (lull prelent is very fhort, but molt ex- 

 quilite in point of tendernefs, jultnefs of 

 thought, and elegance of expreffion. 



To poJov ax/xa^Ei CaiJv ^fovm' nv Ji 7r«pix9i) 



Remember, Love, the fragrant flow'r 

 Dcfign'd for thee at peep of morn. 



Returning both at evening hour, 



We fought a rufe, but found a thorn. 



In the next the thought is more dila'ed 

 and combined with a circumltance often 

 fmce taken ac^vantage of, the prefcnt of a 

 chapltt of flowers. Prior's elegant and 

 well-known poem of the Garland was I 

 believe formed on this very model. 



ns/xTnu rci ' P'.ioxy.tia. RuFiNUs. 



This garland, intertwin'd with fragrant 

 flow'rs, 

 Pluck'd by my hand, to thee, my Love, I 



fend. 

 The lillics here with op'ning rofes hlenJ ; 

 Til' anemone, befprent with April-(how'rs ; 



• Kai if; ra iXfa Jt >^ Ta aXT» v£_a^/xEVov, 



The foft NarcifTus ; Violet, that ppi^rs 

 From every purple leaf the glad perfume ; 

 And, while upon thy fweeter breaft they 

 bloom, 

 Yield to the power of Ipve thy paffing hours ; 

 For thou, like thefe, ipuft fade at nature's 

 general doom. 



|Jpon the fame principle, and very finpii- 

 lar in the execution, allowing for a greater 

 mixture pf fancy and fentiment, luch as 

 wc have been led to expe6l from the rea- 

 fons I have before ftated, is our Waller's 

 beautiful Addrcfs to the Rofe. It is ft> 

 applicable to tjie prelent fubjtft that I 

 cannot defift frorn jnferting fome of the 

 lines in this place. 



Go, lovely Rofe ! 

 Tell her that wiites her time and me, 



That now (he knows. 

 When I refemble her to thee, 

 How fweet and fair fhe feems to be, Sec. 



It concludes thus, 



Then die ! that (he 

 The ccmmon fate of all things rare 



May read in thee :— 

 How fmall a part of time they {hare 

 That are fo wond'rous fweet and fair. 



The old Provencal poets availed them- 

 fclves often of the lime fimile. Peter 

 d'Auvergne fends a nightingale to the 

 bower of his beautiful Clairettc, inllruff- 

 ing the bird to pour out his piflionatc 

 complaints in her ear. Thefong thus in- 

 troduced is attended by feveral romantic 

 and pi£lurelque circumftances ; but it 

 concludes in the very ffyleof our GreciaH 

 bards : " Why do you paufe ? Embrace 

 love when it is offered ! Seize the happy 

 moment ! It is a tlowcr that fwiftly fades 

 away." 



But the ancient poets were not always 

 quite fo tender or polite to the cold-heart- 

 ed fair Oi'es whole b^rbaiity they deplored. 

 The fame argument carried a little fur- 

 ther we find to degenerate into aiiuli;; and 

 though the amorous minftiels of Greece 

 did not often extend their triumphs over 

 ihofe cruel tyrants whofe hearts had begun 

 to foften jult at the feafon when they were 

 no longer to be prized, to quite the extent 

 tliat Horace has done in his " Aiulivcre, 

 Lyce, Di mea vota," yet they did not 

 f.iil to (lifplay their exiiltaiion when occa- 

 fion offfrcit. The following reproofs, 

 tliough a little lefs uncivil, are on the 

 fame rnodtl rjiiU the ode of Horace : they 

 am boih by Rutinu}. 



