English Poetry I: From Chaucer to Gray.
The Harvard Classics. 1909–14. |
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| 268. Cloe |
| | | Matthew Prior (1664–1721) |
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| THE MERCHANT, to secure his treasure, | |
| Conveys it in a borrow’d name: | |
| Euphelia serves to grace my measure, | |
| But Cloe is my real flame. | |
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| My softest verse, my darling lyre | 5 |
| Upon Euphelia’s toilet lay— | |
| When Cloe noted her desire | |
| That I should sing, that I should play. | |
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| My lyre I tune, my voice I raise, | |
| But with my numbers mix my sighs; | 10 |
| And whilst I sing Euphelia’s praise, | |
| I fix my soul on Cloe’s eyes. | |
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| Fair Cloe blush’d: Euphelia frown’d: | |
| I sung, and gazed; I play’d, and trembled: | |
| And Venus to the Loves around | 15 |
| Remark’d how ill we all dissembled. | |
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