all through the lift with billing kisses glide:
Where’er on windy wings the Goddess flies
with gracious movement she serenes the skies.
25
Now o’er th’ Idalian mounts her car impendeth,
where for her coming waits her Archer-son,
who mustering potent host with it intendeth
to fare on famous expedition,
and rebel worlds debel till he amendeth
those direful errors long by mortals done,
who love goods given by the Gods above
for man to use and not for man to love.
26
He saw Actaeon, hunter so austere,
so blindly bent on snatching brutal prize,
that to pursue some ugly beast and fere,
far from the human form divine he flies:
The Boy for vengeance sweet as ’tis severe
charms with chaste Dian’s shape his hungry eyes;
then let the for’ester take him careful heed
lest his loved Hounds upon their Hunter feed.
27
He sees the wide world o’er how evry Lord,
for public welfare naught doth reck nor feel;
he sees that none the boon of love afford,
save where Philautia182 counsels selfish weal:
He sees how men who sit at royal board
for words of wisdom aye prefer to deal
in sale of flatt’eries vile, which ne’er permit
the tares be weeded from the fair young wheat.
28
He sees that men, to poverty who owe
duty of Holy Love and Charity,
live only pow’er to gain and wealth to show,
pretending Justice and Integrity:
Of ugly Tyr’anny breeding asp’erous woe
they coin a right with vain severity:
Laws they devise in favour of the King;
Laws which the lieges favour down they fling,
29
He sees, in fine, none love as all should love,
save that which dealeth only ill delight:
Nor for a longer time doth it behove
to waive a punishment as dire as right.
He bids his summoned Ministers to move
armaments, fitted for that mortal fight
he lists engage with yon misgovern’d crowd,
that hath till now allegiance disavow’d.
30
Of these small wingèd Impes a band is set
to varied labours in their several crafts;
these on the grindstone piercing piles to whet,
and those to shave and thin the caney shafts:
Soothes ev’ery labour love-sweet canzonet,
wedding strange chances to the song that wafts
sonorous melodies and roundels gay;
suave is the song, angelical the lay.
31
Th’ immortal Furnaces wherein they forgèd
for their swift arrows points that penetrate,
with fiery Hearts by way of fu’el are gorgèd,
and Vitals vital still that palpitate:
The temp’ering waves wherein the tips were mergèd,
are lovers’ Tears in love unfortunate:
The live bright light and never-failing fire
is ever burning ne’er outburnt Desire.
32
Some hied their dext’erous hands to exercise
on the rude Vulgus’ hard unfeeling hearts:
Re-echo’d through the welkin frequent sighs
of victims smitten by the shaft that smarts:
Fair be the Nymphs who deal the remedies
dear to the hurts they deal, and such their arts,
the sorely hurt not only they revive,
but boon of life to life unborn they give.
33
Beauteous the many, while the few are plain,
consonant with the qual’ity of the wound;
for to heal venom spread through ev’ery vein
the bitter’est Theriacks oft the best are found.
Many are doomèd aye to wear the chain
by subtle bond of weirdest witch’ery bound:
thus haps it mostly, when the darts acerb
are armed and tinctured with the poyson-herb.
34
And from such wilful shots discharged sans aim,
wherewith those awkward Impes aye joy to play,
arise a thousand loves that mar and maim
the victims wounded in such wretched way:
E’en of the Heroes boasting highest fame
a thousand impious loves the sight dismay;
Such was May Byblis, such the Cinyraean:183
This Youth Assyrian born, and that Judaean.184
35
Ye too, my Lordlings! oft have seen the hour
when love of Shepherd-lass your souls hath smit;
and ye, my Ladies! oft the couthless boor
hath meshed your Ladyships in Vulcan-net.
These waiting nocturns to the tryst fain scour,
those scale the casements and o’er pantiles flit:
Yet hold I mainly that such loves indign
are more the Mother’s than the Son’s design.
36
Now the light char’iot on the green depose
the pure white Cygnets, slowly softly wending;
and Dionaea, who conjoinèd shows
roses in waste of snows, is seen descending.
Her Bowyer-son who dareth Heav’en oppose,
to greet her hasteth with douce smile unbending;
while of the little Cupid lads a band
crowdeth to kiss the Queen of Beauty’s hand.
37
She, to save precious time from vanities,
whispers the Boy embosom’d in her arms
confident thus:—“Dear Son whose hand supplies
the firmest footing of my chiefest charms;
Son! on whose pow’ers my power aye relies;
thou, holding cheap Typhoeus’ dread alarms,
her force by thine t’ enforce, an urgent case
bringeth thy mother to bespeak thy grace.”
38
“The Lusitanick toils well hast thou ken’d,
whom I for ages watch with tenderest guise.
Since sware the Parcae unto me, their friend,
they shall adore my name, my favour prize;
and, as their feats of armèd prowess shend
all feats of rival Rome, I lief devise
some mode of aidance in what things I may,
far as our force o’er man extendeth sway.
39
“And, seen how hateful Bacchus hath beguile’d,
with mortal plots, their course on Indic plain,
and how by wavy Ocean’s injuries foil’d
rather than tirèd they were lost or slain:
I will that in this sea to them so wild,
’mid ever restless waves their rest be tane:
Here shall they gather guerdon sweet and glorious
of toils that make the names of men memorious.
40
“Wherefore I pray thee, Son! forthwith go fire
the Nereus-maidens on their deep-sea ground;
burn they with Lusian love, bring warm desire
to these Explorers of a world new found,
all in an Islet joined in glorious choir,
an Isle unknown in Ocean-depths profound
embowel’d, I will haste on high to raise
where lovely Flora with her Zephyr plays:
41
“There with a thousand sherbets, odorous wine,
delicious viands, perfumed breath of roses,
in sing’ular scenes of palace crystalline,
fair couches, fairer what on couch reposes;
with thousand joys unvulgar shall, in fine,
each Nymph await
