1806.] 



Epigrams, Fragments^ l^c.from the Greekl 



509 



fented a living piflure to gazing deitlea. 

 The dear and brilliant white ot her eye 

 encircled a pupil of the mo!^ piercing 

 black. Another difplayed her beautiful 

 elbows, and the elegant bend of her fair 

 arm. Another had faftened htr robe 

 around her neck, and concealed her bofom, 

 but tucked up the folds To as to leave her 

 leg at liberty for the dance. At length, 

 wearied with the exercile, they threw 

 themfeives along on banks coveted with 

 tiiofe flowers that were born of Helen's 

 tears, and with the dark leaves of the 

 thickiy.fprinkled violet, and crocus flam- 

 ing like the Sun ; crocus, which lend* its 

 fair colour to the veils of the beiuriful 

 dames of Gieece ; the child of P-rlia alfo, 

 the joyful amaracur, rich in flowers, was 

 fcattered ever that foft bank." 



The Grecian c oet was fond of afcribing 

 the charms of celeftials to the mortal form 

 of his iniftrefs ; the cuilom tias been fol- 

 lowed by the wriiers of modern days ; but 

 we no longer annex any definite ideas to 

 the metaphors we employ. 



'0/x/A,!ir' ixit; 'Hfy:;. RuriNUJ. 



The Qiiee.n of Heaven's bright eyes illume 



thy face ; 

 GreiC Pallas lent thine arms their poliih'd 



grace ; 

 The Paphian Goddefs taught thy breaft to 



heave j 

 Thetis thy ancle's flender firmnefs gave. 



Bleft is the man who gazes on thy charms j 

 Thrice happy he who hears thy melting 



voice ; 

 Half-deity, whofe love has fix'd thy 

 choice ; 

 A god who folds thee in a husband's arms ! 



Two other finsU pieces of merit occur 

 to me, whi.-h being alfo defcriptive of the 

 paflion excited by female charms and ac- 

 compliftiments, will very naturally fellow 

 here in the regular com fe of my pi ell lit ob- 

 fervations. Of all the acquired grac<.s which 

 were calculated to win a Grecian lover, 

 /kill in mufic appears to have been the firft 

 a'id mofl excellent. The natural genius 

 of the ancient Greeks for that delightful 

 art, and 'he progrefs they had made in it 

 towards perfeclior), is well known to every 

 one. It is faiJ, that, of all the Greeks, 

 the Argians were the moft pafllonately 

 fond uf mufic ; and modern tr.wellers le- 

 Ja'e, that tlw fame tafte prevails among 

 them even to this day. " As foon as their 

 day's work ii over (fays a Frenchman of 

 the lad century) all the inhabitants are 

 feen fitting at the doors of ilitir houCes, or 

 on the fea-fliore, chanting Ibnie inelsn- 

 clioly airs, which they accompany with a 

 lyre fimilar to that of the ancients.'' 



faX/xoi ;^\aXifi, PhILODEMUS. 



The ftrains'that flow from youog Aminta't 

 lyre, 

 Her tongue's foft voice, and melting elo- 

 quence. 



Her fparkliny eyes, thatglow with new defire. 

 Her warbling voice, that chains th' adaiir-t 

 ing fenfe, 



Subdue my foul, I know not how not 

 whence— 



Too foon it will be known when all my foul'» 

 on iire. 



'Hjy |U£Xc? Ml nava rov 'Apxaja, MelEAGSR* 



By great Arcadia's God, the fire 



That brsiChes in tuneful Lefoia's lyre, 



Is heav'nly as it fweeps along ; 



But not fo fweec as Lefoia's fong. 



How flijlll fly ? On every fide 



Great Love has fpread his banners wide ) 



He gives ro time, no pjw'r to breathe. 



But round me winds his fubtle wreathe. 



Whether thy form has rais'd defire, "i 



Or thy fweet Voice, or lieav'nly lyre, > 



Or artlefs grace, my foul's on fire ! J 



Sometim-es, however, even the Greeks 

 deviated into the ftyle of romance, and 

 adopted all that mixture of tendernefi. ani 

 fancy which accompanies the tales of chi- 

 valry, or thole (fo very fimilar to them) 

 which have been imported from the Eaft. 

 I will here break into the tedioufnel's of 

 critical remark, by rela'ing (out of j\the» 

 naeus) a ftory which combines in it all the 

 wild.iefs of imagination, and the ecctntri- 

 city of fable, that captivates us fo nauAJi 

 in the Arabian Nights' EntertainmentJ, 

 and other produftions of Orien:al fancy* 

 The operation of Genii alone is wanting 

 to make it a per(ec\ re emblance ; but 

 even without that aid I think it will recal 

 to moft readers who are acquainted with 

 the tales I have mentioned, the romantic 

 Hiflory of Caraaralzaman and the Prin- 

 cefs Bidrura. 



" In the reign of Hyfpafpes king of 

 Media, Zariadres his brother held the ab- 

 folute dominion of thofe provinces whicli 

 lie between the Cafpian Gatts and the ri. 

 ver TaniVs. His peil'on, the mod perfect 

 fpecimen of manly beauty ever known, 

 attrai51jd the univerfal admiration of thofe 

 who faw him, and was indeed celebrated 

 all over Afia. The faireftand moft noble 

 princefTes in the world would with rapture 

 have icknowlcdged him for tiieir lord { 

 but hiinerto his heart had been infenfible 

 to the force of female attia^lions. He 

 cultivated the (jijalities of a good prince 

 and a valiant foldicr, but love was a flraii- 

 ger to his bofom. 



" On a fudden, without any apparent 



caufe, he grew nitluichoiy and abftrafV- 



ed ; he f!cd fiuin the company of his 



counleilorg 



