ON PALLAS BATHING, FROM A HYMN OF CALLIMACHUS. NOR oils of balmy scent produce, Ye nymphs who lave her; she, array'd Of Simois' stream her locks to trace, TO DEMOSTHENES. IT flatters and deceives thy view, ON A SIMILAR CHARACTER. You give your cheeks a rosy stain, Those wrinkles mock your daily toil, You wear a mask of smoothest oil, An art so fruitless then forsake, ON AN UGLY FELLOW. BEWARE, my friend! of crystal brook, ON A BATTERED BEAUTY. HAIR, wax, rouge, honey, teeth you buy, A mask at once would all supply, ON A THIEF. WHEN Aulus, the nocturnal thief, made prize Of Hermes, swift-wing'd envoy of the skies, Hermes, Arcadia's king, the thief divine, Who when an infant stole Apollo's kine, And whom, as arbiter and overseer Of our gymnastic sports, we planted here; "Hermes," he cried, "you meet no new disaster; Ofttimes the pupil goes beyond his master." ON PEDIGREE. FROM EPICHARMUS. My mother! if thou love me, name no more Nature withholds all good besides; they boast But whom hast thou beheld, or canst thou name Lives not; for how could such be born at all? Of all his kindred, one, who cannot trace From my wishes I discard; So the Theban: but to shine BY MOSCHUS. I SLEPT when Venus enter'd: to my bed 66 Shepherd, receive my little one! I bring An untaught love, whom thou must teach to sing." She said, and left him. I, suspecting nought, Many a sweet strain my subtle pupil taught, How reed to reed Pan first with osier bound, How Pallas form'd the pipe of softest sound, How Hermes gave the lute, and how the quire Of Phoebus owe to Phoebus' self the lyre. Such were my themes; my themes nought heeded he, But ditties sang of amorous sort to me, The pangs that mortals and immortals prove BY PHILEMON. OFT we enhance our ills by discontent, TRANSLATION OF AN EPIGRAM OF HOMER'. PAY me my price, potters! and I will sing. No title is prefixed to this piece, but it appears to be a translation of one of the Enурaμpara of Homer called 'O Kapivoç, or the Furnace. Herodotus, or whoever was the Author of the Life of Homer ascribed to him, observes," certain potters, while they were busied in baking their ware, seeing Homer at a small distance, and having heard much said of his wisdom, called to him, and promised him a present of their commodity and of such other things as they could afford, if he would sing to them, when he sang as follows." |