21g 
In fond purfuit far thro’ the tangled wood, 
Along the glittering margin of the flood. 
At lengththe wild and tuneful nightingale, 
Hopping from bough tc bough, and tree to 
tree, 
To the thick covert of a fhady vale 
Ttrac’d, and onward wandering pines and 
roe 
(My long hair floating to the weftern gale,) \ 
T fat beneath a verdant canopy, 
Embower’d in wood, to hear the bird repeat 
That thrilling fong, fo mufically fweet. 
Whilf thus I liften’d to the gentle bird, 
Like Proferpi ne among the flow’rs of Mav, 
And young as fhe, I ona fudden heard 
Yo notes of woe the {weet fong die away ; 
‘Fhen in the clofe and tangled fhade appear’d 
A form, which fill’d my bofom with dif- 
may, 
Fell, dark, and fierce; 
ftood: 
T xofe, and darted fwiftly thro’ the wood. 
and in the thicket 
I tight have then efcap’d him in the race, 
But that fair hair, my virgin joy and pride, 
Free as myfelf, abandon’d ky its trace, 
Caught in a bough, and kept me clofely 
tied. 
My &erce purfuer foon concludes the chace— 
(No father heard me, when for aid I 
cried! )— 
And in this cave, impervious to the fky, . 
He binds me down to languith and to die. 
I fancy ftili that all the woods refound 
(Thro? which he bore me) with my pier- 
cing cry; 
And, if fome favage fatyr haunts the ground, 
The wood-god, mejted, heaves a pitying 
; figh : 
My hair difhevell’d, and my vet unbound, 
Torn by fharp spiiakis in many a fragment 
hie, 
Thefe foft and tender cheeks rough-brambles 
fed, 
And fountains rofe from every tear I fhed. 
Thofe charms that once infpir’d the amorous 
flame 
In many 2 noble youth in court and bower, 
When princely fuiters to my father came, 
And woced me for their wedded paramour, 
Are now obfcur’d by gricf, ana pain, and 
thame, 
And pale and wither’d is my beauty’s flow’r. 
Cold, faint, and dim, thofe radiant eyes ap- 
ear ; 
And none can find where once thofe beauties 
were. 
Oh brethien, mother, oh my much-lov'd fire! 
Ch my long-lof companions, ffters, friends! 
Does life your mourning befoms {+l infpire, 
Or have your forrows feen their ‘atal ends? 
Ye little know what torments, fierce aad 
peor frame, this heart what,an- 
rends ! 
Remarks on the Morgante Magg 
f April Is 
Oh foothing Death | how leng dof thou delay 
To tear this tortur’d fenfe of life away ? 
ore. 
“Is this the land where firft I fawthe light ? 
Where are my parents and companions 
flown ? 
Is this the fcene of childheood’s fond delight ? 
Where are the pleafures that | once have 
‘known? _ 
Is this the hall, with feftive {plendour bright ? 
Where is the wealth I fondly called my 
own; ’ 
The friends from whom I peared P ne’er to. 
fever? 
No, vain delufion, they are fled for ever! 
Still in the precin€ts of my father’s court - 
Are royal ladies deck’d with jewels rare, 
The merry feaft,-gay dance, and iw iain 
{port, 
And valiant knights break lances ea the 
fair: 
‘And once I faw, te view my charms, refort 
Such crowds of noble lords and princes 
there! 
And once thofe charms outfhone the fairest 
maid, 
And once the riche ses thofe charms ar= 
ray’d 
Alas, how chang’d the miferable fcene! 
Alone, and friends. and no creature neary 
Around this dark and hen cave are feen 
-No forms but thofe of fancy and of fear ; 
Now by the diftant moonlight’s feeble fheen- 
I fleep away night’s troubled moments 
here ; 
W here vale bloom’d, the thorns ne tee 
main; 
And, surs’d in pleafures, now I droop with 
pain. €.19, ft. 9 
She goes on in this lamentable train 
for feveral more ftaazas, full of firasler 
antithefes, and rather too tedious for in- 
fertion. She informs them that, feveral 
knights had undertaken her caufe, but 
Had: fallen facrifices to the lion who 
guarded her, or to the two giants its 
matters. They are, however, far from. 
being deterred by her hiftory; Margutte 
having the fulleft confidence im the mi- 
raculous pawers of his cempanion, and 
expedling to live in high luxury at the 
caitle of Belflor, if ever they thould be 
fortunate enough to reftere the lady to 
her father. We need not purfue the ad- 
venture, which ended by the ‘defiraétion 
_of the two giants, ie ough one was armed 
with a Lear, the other with a dragon) ; 
after which ‘the lady fet off with Ma 
gutte, and under the pees of our 
bas who fails not to give hin felf imme- 
diately the charaéter of a knisht-errante 
Noi andiam pet mondo cavalieri erranti 
Per amor combattendo, in ogni loge. . 
To. 
