παρθένοι στέψοντι κόροι τ' Αχαιών

τοῖς πάλαι κλεινοῖς ἴσον· εἰ δὲ πρίν τι,
θνατὸς ὤν, παρήλιτες, ἐξαλείψει

δάκρυσιν Ἑλλὰς

μναμ' ἀειρύτοις.τί γόων ὄνειας;
νῦν γὰρ αὖ μάχας ἐς ἀγῶν ̓Αχαιούς
φιλτάτα καλεῖ πατρίς ὀρθίαν σάλ

πιγγος ἐνιπὰν

ἀνέρων τ' ὀμφὰν ἀΐω ποδῶν τε

ἱππικῶν κρότον πολύν ἢ φαεννὰς

Ελλάδος βλέπω στίχας, ή βλέπω στίλβ

οντα δι' αὔρας

ταλόθεν σαμεία, κέαρ δ ̓ ἔσωθεν

ἄλλεται βλέποντι τί μάν; τὸ μέλλον

ὑψόθεν κραίνει Θεός· Ἐλπίδος δ ̓ ἦν
ἀδὺ γέλασμα

πιστὸν ᾖ, τάχ ̓ αὖ μεγαλώνυμός τιν,
Ελλάς, ἐν φάει καθαρῷ πρόσωπον
ἐκφανεῖ Νίκα, τάχα τιν πτερών θαυ
αῖσιν ἁμίλλαις,

Summum ius summa iniuria.

Verbera uicinae passus non lenia dextrae pragmatici uafram poscit agrestis opem. 'hem bone! caesus eras pugnis: hem! Iulia de ui lex facit a nobis: lis tibi salua tua est: milia causidico, mihi das duo milia; uinces: ius tibi erit summum, sit modo dicta dies.' 'summum,' ait, 'hoc ius est? iniuria summa crumenae: altera si tanti lis erit, una satis :

num capiti fracto medeatur rem quoque frangi, et mihi, quod data sint uerbera, uerba dari?'

Περισσοὶ πάντες οἱ ̓ν μέσῳ λόγοι.

1825

Χλώρι, λέγ ̓ εἴ με φιλεῖς τί σαλεύονθ ̓ ὧδε προλείπεις κύμασί μ ̓ ἀντιπάλοις ἐλπίδος ἠδὲ δέους ;

φεῦ τί θέλω δυσέρως; μύθου πλέον ἥδε σιωπή μὴ λέγ'· ἔχει φωνὴν ὄμμα, παρῇσι λαλεῖς.

Facunda Silentia linguae.

(In Statuam Gulielmi Pitt)

O Sculptura potens domare Lethen
et vitam magico referre tactu!
en quantus decorat senator aulam,
quam flexu toga defluit decenti,
quam miri species honesta uoltus,
quam celsae grauitas serena frontis
maiestasque manus! ut eloquenter
protento pede proloqui uidetur!
en, tacentis in ore suada uiuit,
et uox marmoreis inest labellis.

1826

1825

The Medicean Venus.

Lo where in Arno's halls, their noblest charm, her limbs defending with each graceful arm, lest eyes profane should o'er their ripeness rove, the Queen of Beauty fills the air with love! what soul, with Fable's rich creations fraught, to silent life that sweet ideal wrought? had he not loved a Naiad as he slept, and woke, a fond despairing nympholept? or (it might be) near some enchanted wood, where the bee murmured and the stockdove coo'd, while summer scattered in her twilight hour scents on the breeze and dews on herb and flow'r, intent upon the slowly dark'ning sky

and careless of the brook's faint lullaby
awhile his passionate spirit drank from far
the mystic rapture of the vesper star,
till, by the soft persuasion of the stream
subdued at last, he laid him down to dream.
straight through the love-lit air the goddess stole,
shone o'er his sleep and communed with his soul,
a minglement of all the daintiest things
descried in Fancy's young imaginings,

sweet smiles and sweeter sighs and coy alarms
and glowing consciousness of mightiest charms,
her tresses wooed by every gentle wind,
her wondrous beauties by no zone confined,
fair, as from ocean foam she rose to light,
than ocean's sunny foam more dazzling bright;
a miracle of loveliness, as when

she stood unveil'd in Ida's greenest glen

and smiling heard the Dardan's cry, 'the Three are beautiful, most beautiful is She;'

melting and warm, as when the Lord of War (sheath'd his red sword and rein'd his iron car) while thrall'd in her triumphant arms he lies, feeds with her face the passion of his eyes'. entranced awhile the full-souled artist lay, and even in slumber gazed his heart away; then woke, and swift by Memory's summon'd aid to seize each waning light, each flitting shade, he won the conquest o'er oblivious death, and gave the glorious vision-all but breath.

1825

Scopulis surdior.

Mens mea seclusis arcanum condidit antris,
uitaque, perpetuo quod sileatur, habet.
ille breui fuerat conceptus tempore, uerum
tempore non ullo est interiturus amor.
heu, quotiens tractu spatior non uisus eodem,
heu, comes huic quotiens incomitatus eo!
et, cum finiero mortalia tempora uitae,
poscere nil ausus nil ego nanctus ero.
interea uocem non audiit illa precantis,
conscia nullius praetereuntis abit;

unum amat, officiis fungi, sint tristia quamuis,
unum habet e uotis omnibus, esse piam.
scripta legens mea plena sui 'quaenam illa,' rogabit,
'femina?' sed quae sit nescia semper erit.

From the French.

1 Lucr. I. 36, pascit amore auidos inhians in te, Dea, uisus.

The Translations which follow, 'Snatches of Song, chiefly from the German, date from tours in 1831 and 1832.

Der Wanderer.

I WANDER on the lonely shore ;
the winds are wild, the billows roar.
I wander still in dull despair,

and sigh and murmur, 'whither? where?'

the sun, methinks, is here so cold,
the flowers are pale, and life is old,
and all is empty sound and show,
for I am strange where'er I go.

o where art thou, my fatherland,
long lost, long sought, beloved strand?

Ecco ridente il cielo! (ROSSINI.)

THE rosy smile of morning
dispels the lingering shadows;
and lo, from vales and meadows
the golden vapours part:

so rise, my love, and dawning
with eyes of beamy gladness,
melt every shade of sadness,
and shine upon my heart.