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(Translated by George Ogle, 1731)
THE HOUR is come, with pleasure crown’d | |
| Borne in eternal order round: | |
| Hour of endearing looks and smiles: | |
| Hour of voluptuous sports and wiles; | |
| Hour fraught with fondly-murmuring sighs; | 5 |
| Hour blest with softly-dying eyes; | |
| Hour with commingling kisses sweet; | |
| Hour of transporting bliss replete; | |
| Hour worthy ev’n of gods above; | |
| Hour worthy all-commanding Jove; | 10 |
| For not a fairer-omen’d hour | |
| Could promise the kind Gnidian power; | |
| Not tender Cupid could bestow, | |
| The boy with silver-splendid bow, | |
| And golden wing; delicious boy! | 15 |
| That sorrow still always with joy. | |
| Nor, wont at nuptials to preside, | |
| She, that of Jove is sister-bride! | |
| Nor he, on tuneful summit born, | |
| The god whom flowery wreaths adorn; | 20 |
| Who blooming beauty tears away, | |
| Bears off by force the charming prey, | |
| From the reluctant mother tears, | |
| To the rapacious lover bears. | |
| Hour long desired! hour long delay’d! | 25 |
| Thrice happy youth! thrice happy maid! | |
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| Thrice happy youth supremely blest, | |
| Of every wish in one possest; | |
| To thee the maid of form divine | |
| Comes, seeming loth, but inly thine. | 30 |
| Such form as Juno’s self might choose, | |
| Nor yet the martial maid refuse, | |
| (Though that th’ ethereal sceptre sways, | |
| And this the shining shield displays,) | |
| Nor yet the Cyprian queen disdain, | 35 |
| Bent to re-seek the Phrygian swain, | |
| And cause of beauty re-decide, | |
| In shady vale of flowering Ide. | |
| How sure to gain the golden prize, | |
| (Though judged by less discerning eyes,) | 40 |
| She, in that matchless form array’d! | |
| Thrice happy youth! thrice happy maid! | |
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| Thrice happy maid; supremely blest, | |
| Of every wish in one possest; | |
| To thee, on wings of love and truth, | 45 |
| Comes, all-devote, the raptured youth. | |
| Thy bending neck with eager hold, | |
| Thy waist, impatient to enfold. | |
| While, for that hair of easy flow, | |
| While, for that breast of virgin snow, | 50 |
| While, for that lip of rosy dye, | |
| While, for that sweetly-speaking eye, | |
| With silent passion he expires, | |
| And burns with still consuming fires; | |
| Now Phoebus, slow to quit the skies, | 55 |
| Now loit’ring Phoebe, slow to rise | |
| Persists, alternate, to upbraid. | |
| Thrice happy youth! thrice happy maid! | |
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| See where the maid, all-panting, lies, | |
| (Ah! never more a maid to rise!) | 60 |
| And longs, yet trembles at thy tread; | |
| Her cheeks suffused with decent red; | |
| Expressing half her inward flame! | |
| Half springing from ingenuous shame! | |
| Tears from her eyes, perhaps, may steal, | 65 |
| Her joys the better to conceal; | |
| Then sighs, with grief unreal fraught, | |
| Then follow plaints of wrongs unthought. | |
| But cease not thou with idle fears, | |
| For all her plaints, or sighs, or tears. | 70 |
| Kiss’d be the tears from off her eyes; | |
| With tender murmurs stopp’d her sighs; | |
| With soothings soft her plaints allay’d. | |
| Thrice happy youth! thrice happy maid. | |
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| The maid, in decent order placed, | 75 |
| With every bridal honour graced, | |
| Through all her limbs begin to spread | |
| The glowings of the genial bed; | |
| And languid sleep dispose to take, | |
| Did not the youth, more watchful, wake, | 80 |
| And the mild queen of fierce desire, | |
| With warmth not disproportion’d, fire: | |
| Taught hence, nor purpled kings to prize? | |
| Nor scepter’d Jove, that rules the skies. | |
| Soon for soft combats he prepares, | 85 |
| And gentle toils of amorous wars. | |
| Declared, but with no dreaded arms; | |
| Kisses! which, wanton as he strays, | |
| He darts a thousand wanton ways, | |
| At mouth or neck, at eyes or cheeks. | 90 |
| Him humbly, she full oft bespeaks, | |
| Entreats, “a helpless maid to spare!” | |
| And begs, with trembling voice, “Forbear!” | |
| Full oft his rudeness loudly blames, | |
| His boundless insolence proclaims. | 95 |
| His lips, with lips averse, withstands, | |
| With hands, restrains his roving hands. | |
| Resistance sweet; delicious fight! | |
| O night! O doubly-happy night! | |
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| Contention obstinate succeeds. | 100 |
| The tender Loves contention feeds; | |
| By that redoubled ardour burns; | |
| By that redoubled strength returns. | |
| Now o’er her neck take nimble flight; | |
| Her breast as spotless ivory white; | 105 |
| Her waist of gradual rising charms; | |
| Soft-moulded legs; smooth-polish’d arms: | |
| Search all the tracts, in curious sport, | |
| Conductive to the Cyprian court. | |
| Through all the dark recesses go, | 110 |
| And all the shady coverts know. | |
| To this, unnumber’d kisses join, | |
| Unnumber’d as the stars that shine, | |
| Commingling rays of blended light. | |
| O night! O doubly-happy night! | 115 |
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| Then spare no blandishments of love; | |
| Sounds, that with soft’ning flattery move; | |
| Sighs, what with soothing murmur please, | |
| The injured virgin to appease; | |
| Such, as when Zephyr fans the grove, | 120 |
| Or coos the am’rous billing dove; | |
| Or sings the swan with tuneful breath, | |
| Conscious of near approaching death; | |
| Till, pierced by Cupid’s powerful dart, | |
| As by degrees relents her heart, | 125 |
| The virgin, less and less severe, | |
| Quits, by degrees, her stubborn fear; | |
| Now on your arms her neck reclines; | |
| Now with her arms your neck entwines; | |
| As Love’s resistless flames incite. | 130 |
| O night! O doubly-happy night! | |
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| Sweet kisses shall reward your pains, | |
| Kisses which no rude rapine stains; | |
| From lips on swelling lips that swell; | |
| From lips on dwelling lips that dwell; | 135 |
| That play return with equal play; | |
| That bliss with equal bliss repay; | |
| That vital stores, from either heart, | |
| Imbibing, soul for soul impart; | |
| Till now the maid, adventurous grown, | 140 |
| Attempts new frolics of her own; | |
| Now suffers, strangers to the way, | |
| Her far more daring hands to stray. | |
| Now sports far more salacious seeks, | |
| Now words far more licentious speaks; | 145 |
| Words that past sufferings well requite. | |
| O night! O doubly-happy night! | |
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| To arms! to arms! now Cupid sounds. | |
| Now is the time for grateful wounds, | |
| Here Venus waves the nimble spear— | 150 |
| Venus is warlike goddess here. | |
| Here not thy sister, Mars, presides, | |
| Thy mistress in these conflicts prides; | |
| While close engage the struggling foes, | |
| And, restless, breast to breast oppose; | 155 |
| While, eager, this disputes the field, | |
| And that alike disdains to yield; | |
| Till, lo! in breathless transports tost, | |
| Till in resistless raptures lost, | |
| Their limbs with liquid dews distil; | 160 |
| Their hearts with pleasing horrors thrill; | |
| And faint away in wild delight. | |
| O night! O doubly-happy night! | |
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| Oh may you oft these sports renew, | |
| And through long days and nights pursue! | 165 |
| With many an early moon begun; | |
| Prolong’d to many a setting sun. | |
| May a fair offspring crown your joys, | |
| Of prattling girls, and smiling boys; | |
| And yet another offspring rise, | 170 |
| Sweet objects to parental eyes, | |
| The cares, assiduous to assuage, | |
| That still solicit querulous age; | |
| Careful your trembling limbs to stay, | |
| That fail with unperceived decay; | 175 |
| Pious, when summon’d hence you go, | |
| The last kind office to bestow; | |
| Office with unfeign’d sorrow paid. | |
| Thrice happy youth! thrice happy maid! | |
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