310 UNIVERSITY OF COLORADO STUDIES 



But now thy youngest, dearest one has perished, 

 The nursling of thy widowhood, who grew. 

 Like a pale flower by some sad maiden cherished 

 And fed with true-love tears instead of dew ; 

 Most musical of mourners, weep anew. 



cf. Moschus, 71-76. 



This, most musical of rivers, is thy second sorrow, this, Meles,^'^ 

 is thy grief renewed. Homer of old did perish, that sweet voice of 

 Calliope, and thou, ihey say, didst bewail thy fair son with tearful 

 flood and fill all the sea with thy sad voice of grief. And now 

 again, thou art bereaved of another son, and art wasted with a new 

 sorrow.^'"') 



Stanza IX. 



Oh, weep for Adonais ! The quick Dreams, 



The passion -winged ministers of thought, 



Who were his flocks, whom near the living streams 



Of his young spirit he fed, and whom he taught 



The love which was its music, wander not — 



Wander no more from kindling brain to brain. 



But droop there, whence they sprung; and mourn their lot 



Roimd the cold heart, where after their sweet pain. 



They ne'er will gather strength, nor find a home Again. 



This is a striking example of the persistence of a literary tradi- 

 tion which begins with Theocritus. In the Lament for Daphnis, 

 the hero of the song is a shepherd, and at his death his flocks and 



(') A river near Smyrna, here assumed to be the birthplace of Homer. 



(2) 



TOVTO Toi & irorafiMv Xiyvpcorare Sevrepov aXyof;, 

 TOVTO Me A,?; veov a\<yo<; cnrwXeTO irpav rot "Ofirjpo'i, 

 TTJvo TO KaXXioVa? yXvKepbv (rrofxa, Kai ere Xejovrt, 

 fivpacrdai KaXov via TroXvKXavroicri ' peedpovi, 

 iraaav he TrXijaat (f>Q)vd<; dXa • vvv irdXiv dXXov 

 vlea huKpvu^^ kulvw S'eTTt irevdel rdKy 



