Flutter'd and laugh'd, and oft-times through the throng

Made a delighted way. Then dance, and song,
And garlanding grew wild; and pleasure reign'd.
In harmless tendril they each other chain'd,
And strove who should be smother'd deepest in
Fresh crush of leaves.

O 'tis a very sin

For one so weak to venture his poor verse
In such a place as this. O do not curse,
High Muses! let him hurry to the ending.

All suddenly were silent. A soft blending
Of dulcet instruments came charmingly ;
And then a hymn.

"KING of the stormy sea!

Brother of Jove, and co-inheritor

Of elements! Eternally before

Thee the waves awful bow. Fast, stubborn rock,

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At thy fear'd trident shrinking, doth unlock

Its deep foundations, hissing into foam.

All mountain-rivers lost, in the wide home

Of thy capacious bosom ever flow.

Thou frownest, and old Eolus thy foe

Skulks to his cavern, 'mid the gruff complaint
Of all his rebel tempests. Dark clouds faint
When, from thy diadem, a silver gleam

Slants over blue dominion. Thy bright team
Gulphs in the morning light, and scuds along
To bring thee nearer to that golden song
Apollo singeth, while his chariot

Waits at the doors of heaven. Thou art not

For scenes like this: an empire stern hast thou;
And it hath furrow'd that large front: yet now,

As newly come of heaven, dost thou sit

To blend and interknit

Subdued majesty with this glad time.

O shell-borne King sublime!

We lay our hearts before thee evermore—
We sing, and we adore!

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"Breathe softly, flutes;

Be tender of your strings, ye soothing lutes;

Nor be the trumpet heard! O vain, O vain ;
Not flowers budding in an April rain,

Nor breath of sleeping dove, nor river's flow,—

No, nor the Eolian twang of Love's own bow,

Can mingle music fit for the soft ear

Of goddess Cytherea !

Yet deign, white Queen of Beauty, thy fair eyes
On our souls' sacrifice.

Bright-winged Child!

Who has another care when thou hast smil'd?
Unfortunates on earth, we see at last

All death-shadows, and glooms that overcast
Our spirits, fann'd away by thy light pinions.
O sweetest essence! sweetest of all minions!
God of warm pulses, and dishevell❜d hair,

And panting bosoms bare!

Dear unseen light in darkness! eclipser

Of light in light! delicious poisoner

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Thy venom'd goblet will we quaff until

We fill-we fill!

And by thy Mother's lips"

Was heard no more

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For clamour, when the golden palace door

Opened again, and from without, in shone

A new magnificence. On oozy throne
Smooth-moving came Oceanus the old,
To take a latest glimpse at his sheep-fold,
Before he went into his quiet cave

To muse for ever-Then a lucid wave,

Scoop'd from its trembling sisters of mid-sea,
Afloat, and pillowing up the majesty

Of Doris, and the Egean seer, her spouse-
Next, on a dolphin, clad in laurel boughs,
Theban Amphion leaning on his lute :
His fingers went across it-All were mute
To gaze on Amphitrite, queen of pearls,

And Thetis pearly too.―

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The palace whirls

Around giddy Endymion; seeing he

Was there far strayed from mortality.
He could not bear it-shut his eyes in vain ;
Imagination gave a dizzier pain.

"O I shall die! sweet Venus, be my stay!
Where is my lovely mistress? Well-away!
I die I hear her voice-I feel my wing-"
At Neptune's feet he sank. A sudden ring
Of Nereids were about him, in kind strife
To usher back his spirit into life :

But still he slept. At last they interwove
Their cradling arms, and purpos'd to convey
Towards a crystal bower far away.

Lo! while slow carried through the pitying crowd,

To his inward senses these words spake aloud;

Written in star-light on the dark above:

Dearest Endymion! my entire love!

How have I dwelt in fear of fate: 'tis done—

Immortal bliss for me too hast thou won.

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