1799-] 
Yer with mild fway at home he leads a people 
Almof ungovern’d, peaceably and happy, 
And from the fchools of A®gypt and the eaft, 
He has brought them equalizing laws and rites, 
Worthy a brotherhood of upright men. 
_ High on his throne the hoary-bearded king 
Sat, and befide nim ftood bis many children 5 
Among them Ariadne—fair to iee 
As rofeate clouds of even while the fun 
Plays with their golden curls. On me her 
glance, . 
Which o’er our moving train awhile had roll’d, 
Refted---on her alone my eyes were bent, 
And Afrodite gave us both to quaff 
The nectar, which in Hebe’s cup fhe mingles, 
Draught love-infpiring. To the king I faid: 
The fon of /geus, Minos, kneels before thee. 
Ere I deliver up the accuftom’d tribute, 
One boon I crave: let me alone be thut 
Fir{t in the labyrinth with this mere club. 
Strife with a god—(if fuch this fon of Apis 
By his tame worfhippers be rightly deem’d) 
Thefeus fhall dare unfearing : rites which bring 
On man oppreilion cannot come from Jove. 
If me the Minotaur’s ferocious force 
Bring to the ground, be thefe, as wont, his 
booty : 
Cull’d from the garden of Athenian youth, 
They are a tribute worthy of the gods, 
But worthy tobe grudg’d them. If Iconquer, 
(Minos thou wilt not deem me impious then, 
But may ft with honour gird my fhining front) 
O fend meback, not merely with the friends, 
Whem from the idols greedy minifters 
I fhall have refcued, but as beft befits 
“The fon of him, thy former guet and friend, 
Giving me Ariadne for my bride. 
Fairer than moon or fun is Ariadne. 
With earneft mildnefs Minos heard nor 
frown’d ; - 
Methought a faint {mile cautioufly reprefs’d, 
“With’d the fuccefs he car’d not to forbode me. 
He look’d on Ariadne, who, with eyes 
Downcaft and bluthing, quickly veil’d herfelf, 
Firft fpake he with the elders of the people 
Words for the croud not meant, and thus re- 
plied : 
Arm’d as thou art, goto the labyrint 
There let the gods decide upon thy doom. 
Spare they thy life, the king thall ipare it too, 
‘And fend thee alekvasliaiona 0 thy father. 
Two days in Minos’ palace I partook 
The rites of hofpitality ; and oft 
Would Ariadne weigh with fearful eye 
The club I carried, meafure my brown arm, 
With fhy intreaty ies about her father, 
And fweetly turn on me much-faying glances, 
Qn the third day, at even, I was led Ve 
Into the labyrinth, arm’d with this club, 
And with a lighted torch. Not many fteps 
Reyond the veftibule along a gallery 
(Of galleries and apartments, winding {tairs, 
And fecret chambers, endlefs is the number } 
Had | proceeded, ere the ruftling ftep 
Of one in gliftening garments crept upon me. 
I held my torch above my head and gaz’d: 
Tis 3, my Thefeus, fpake the whilpering form, 
_ She led me to her father, 
« Dancing 
Original Poetry. | 297 
Tis I, thy Ariadne! Take this coil, 
The sdedy i is faften'd to the entrance-door ; 
Let it unwind as thou fhalt pace along 
The fubterranean wilderneis of vaults, 
>T will reconduct thee to the light of heaven. 
Here i await thy coming, not unwilling, 
If thou fhoulcs tall, to be the montfter’s booty ; 
If that fhould fali, then Theteus, to be thine. 
She ipake, and fhrunk afide in fightlefs dark- 
nels ; [my torch, 
The door, which clos’d behind her, quench’d 
I wander’d on in midnight, grop’d my way 
Down dewy fteps, at tinies my sootfali waking 
Dull echoes of the abyfs. Ere long the fhine 
Of diftant radiance mark’d the pillar’d cavern. 
Nearer and nearer to the ipot 1 came, 
Where, in the eternal blaze of thoufand lamps 
That ftar his dungeon-temple, on a floor 
With offal ftrown,and bones, ftalk’d the ferce 
god. 
At me with angry front and reddening eye 
He {prings, at me he points his fharpeit horn : 
This cluo with timely heavy well-aim’d blow 
Shatter’d his ikull—he fell to rife no more. 
Chorus. Hail, Theieus— Heracles, the 
moniter-flayer, [ Theieus ! 
Long live the noble Thefeus! Jove, fave 
Thefeus. Singing, that Ariadne toon might 
hear 
Some pledge of my fuccefs, I haftened back, 
Coiling about the handle of my club 
The thread, my faithful guide. Soonas J 
found her 
See, faid the, 
The montter-flayer: let the hero be ° 
Thy {fon-in-law, and give to me, for dower, 
The feven youths and leven maids of Athens, 
That we may carry with us joy to all; : 
Thou fhalt remit the tribute now for ever. 
Chorus, Live A geus’ fon the guardian king 
of Athens, [elaps’d, 
Thejeus. Minos confented. But a week 
And to our nuptial pomp the youthful train 
New-clad, with roies garlanded and myrtle, 
) itrow’d baiket-fuls of flowers and fang 
The ay eglees of love. With fragrant torch 
Blythe Hymen lighted to the bridal bower 
The happy Thefeus ; and befide his bed 
Drew cloie the faffron ve:l. Alas, how near 
Stood by the couch of pleaiure Wemefis. 
Six days, fhort days, were givento rejoicings 5 
The teventh toourembarkment, ‘Tepid erie 
Swell’d the white fail, the freaky ftreamer 
quiver’d © [tracingy 
O’er the imooth fea, our fhip long furrows 
Rang with the meafur’d noife of fong and 
cymbals [ pull. 
That taught and cheer’d the rower’s meafur'd 
At night we faw the flame-capt hill of Naxos 
To us unfriendly. On the fiery mountain, 
Dark ftormsawaited, lour’d, and burft upon us. 
The loud winds Soaed, like flames of burning 
towns, 
Between the watry vallies. Lightnings flafh’d 
Oniy to show the rocks toward which we 
drifted. * [hip 
> Twas much we ftranded, much we tow’a our 
Beyond 



oS ee ote 
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