June Tassds Musical Verse. 191 



tionaiy. He does not really care in the least about the 

 scenery of his poem ; occasionally a tree is mentioned, 

 or the woods, or a rivulet, or a little lake, but curso- 

 rily, in the temper of a figure-painter who dashes in a 

 bit of background with what may happen to be upon 

 his palette. The words of course come in well and 

 musically, as words: ( /' onde* rhymes prettily with 

 'fronde! 



' Ho visto al pianto mio 

 Risponder per pietate i sassi e 1'onde ; 

 E sospirar le fronde 

 Ho visto al pianto mio ; 

 Ma non ho visto mai, 

 Ne spero di vedere 

 Compassion nella crudele e bella.' * 



These verses are quite typical of Tasso's treatment 

 of landscape. He may use it for rapid allusion, but will 

 not dwell upon it an instant longer than is necessary for 

 his immediate purpose, and recurs to human passion as 

 a workman who has glanced out of window applies him- 

 self again to his own business. So in the second scene 

 (Act I.) Aminta tells, very exquisitely, that pretty story 

 about the bee stinging, and how Filli, who was stung 

 on the cheek, was cured by Silvia's lips ; after which he, 

 Aminta, who had not been stung by the bee, pretended 

 that he had been, and so got a sort of kiss from Silvia, 



*'I have known the stones and the water answer my complaint 

 from pity, and I have known the leaves sigh to it ; but I have never 

 found, nor do I ever hope to find, compassion in her who is cruel and 

 beautiful.' 



