Classic Poem

Written in French by S. Amant

Surpriz'd with admiration and delight
I of that far fam'd Graecian singer write,
That, from inhumane Mariners set free,
Whose hearts the rockes resemble in the Sea,
Was by a Dolphin borne ore Neptunes state,
(Fortune astonisht at so rare a fate)
And by the destinies prefixt decree
Once more the smoke of his owne roofe did see.
Arion (to no memories unknowne,
Laden alike with riches and renowne,
Who, with his amorous voice all eares delighted
To the sweet charms of his soft hands united,
Mens ravisht soules did on the stones bestow,
Tame savage beasts, and teach the trees to goe,
The Suns swift course precipitate or stay,
And as he pleasd enlarge or night or day,
Pitty awake, and thunder lay asleepe,
The God of war's fierce anger softned keepe,
And banish from those hearts that did sustaine
The strong assaults of torment, griefe, and paine)
His native soile desires once more to see,
Where he was honourd to Idolatry.
Those naturall passions that did long invade
His flatterd mind, now he's returnd perswade;
Wise Perianders strict command was joynd
With these to whose will he his owne resignd,
The Latian shore prepares to leave that he
In Greece might consummate his destiny,
With carefull search at last a ship he found,
For the same country with his wishes bound,
Of Corinth, which, thus meeting his designes,
His Ivory lute he to its case confines,
With teares, though mixt with joy, his deare friends leaves.
Kisses, embraces gives and back receives,
And, last embarqu't, by a long farewell seem'd
Much griev'd to leave a place so much esteemd.
They now weigh Anchor, and do hoist their sailes,
Filld with a whispering wind and happy gales;
Thetis with Neptune and Palemon they
Invoke, the helme directs them in the way;
The ship ploughes up the waters, which, to shun
Her course, now forward and then backward run.
Still at the Port those of Tarentum stay,
And unto heaven for his safe conduct pray;
A thousand vowes they make, and, when they were
Gone out of sight, heavy and sad appeare;
Then home returne, seeming much grievd to be,
And at each step looke back unto the Sea.
By this the whispering Zephire which did court
Their sailes had borne the ship far from the port,
Nor other object can their sight pursue
But heaven and Sea; these onely are in view,
When the rude Mariners, who to the winde
And stormes their fortunes have for gaine resignd,
Which lesse inhumane often then men are,
Their bloudy hands t'effect his death prepare.
He who already sees what they intend,
Desiring he might celebrate his end
Like the sad Cygnet which with constant breath
Fore-tells by singing her approaching death,
His richest robes put on, his temples crownd
With an immortall wreath of laurell bound,
And seeing no way left to shun their force,
To's lute his latest refuge hath recourse,
And with a voice not moovd or troubled saies
Some inspirations did his spirit raise
Sacred Apollo to desire in praier
That he their vessell would preserve with care.
To this effect a sacred hymne he knows
Himselfe to favour Musick did compose,
Which if they would permit and heare him sing,
Delight and profit would united bring.
They at these words the insolence represt
Which to such treachery their thoughts adrest;
His death, that so this happines they might,
Though undeservd, enjoy, remit till night;
Their horrid crimes vaile with a calmer brow,
And do as pious his request allowe;
Rudely invited, thus awhile forbeare him,
And silence on themselves impose to heare him.
Then he the seas smooth face doth round survay
Whereon their floating mansion slides away,
And the great Deities invokes in mind
Who to those dark abysses are confind.
He tunes his lute, the strings in order sets,
Accords it with his voice, makes fitt the frets,
Ascends the poop with his best robes adornd,
And to these words gives life, to the Sun turnd.
Most faire and most adord o'th'Gods, who by
Thy valour Python slewst, which constantly
Is to the race of men propitious,
Take care of us.
Phaebus whom the nine sisters Master call,
Who light and being dost bestow on all,
Unemulated star with radiant haire,
Favour our praier.
Great power whose sacred Oracles explaine
The darkest Miracles in Delphos fane,
The guide of time, who doth on thee attend,
Our lives defend.
Those black stormes dissipate, by fortune meant
T'orethrow us, ore our heads still imminent;
And, to reduce us from the graves sad night,
Lend us thy light.
We know that Æolus thy power doth feare,
Nor when thou dost command will be severe,
But in such calmes expresse to us his love
As Halcyons prove;
Will with his scepter lay each swelling wave,
Boreas confine to his remotest cave,
And none but zephyrus permit to raigne
On this vast plaine.
He had no sooner ended when the Sun,
Plung'd i'th'Atlantick Sea, did downewards run;
Peloponnesus now appeares in sight,
And heaven is ravisht from their eyes by night.
When to the waters first he breathd this song,
A thousand sholes of fishes croud and throng
About the ship, yet dumbe and without noise,
Greedy t'enjoy the Musick of his voice.
Prodigious whales, that they might better heare,
Hold in their breaths, as do the winds and aire;
All here, their furys sleeping, mix with those
Are by Antipathy esteemd their foes,
And freely presse, ceasing their usd alarms;
As glad to be attracted by these charmes;
The waves and aire smooth and untroubled ly
Fearing to interrupt his harmony;
And heaven, whilst this diviner sound it heares,
Wishes that all its eyes were turnd to eares.
His silent auditors on each side see
All except man retaine humanitie:
But these rough soules of brasse, (fortune most strange)
These cruell Pyrats whom no objects change,
No mildnes or relenting pitty know,
Nor by his Musick mov'd do softer grow;
With naked swords, by Furies thus inspird
Who had their barbarous hearts with anger fird,
Assault Arion with intent to pay
Death for the wealth they meant to take away.
Moovd with presage of vengeance and disgrace
The honest Pilot hides as heaven his face,
And turnes aside his head not to behold
With innocent eyes an act so guilty bold.
As pliant reeds do gently bow beneath
The furious power of Aquilon's rough breath
When troubled winds from every part assemble
Able to make the strongest Ramparts tremble,
So did Arion on the poop give way,
And the rude fury of these men obey;
With mildnes and by humble actions strove
Their cruelty to soften or to move.
Which, when he saw was vaine and that no arts
Could have the power to bend their stubborn hearts,
He, since he no where could for refuge run,
Resolves to meet that death he could not shun,
And in despaire himself i'th'water cast:
When heavens great mercy, then it selfe more vast,
Prepard a Dolphin ready to receive him,
And, safely wafted to the shore, to leave him.
By Fortune thus preserv'd when in each wave
He ready saw on either side his grave,
The feare of imminent death could not exceed
His admiration when so strangely freed.
The Gods that in those fluid mansions dwell
When they at night beheld him as he fell,
Thought, by a common errour so deceivd,
Thetis two Phaebus's t'her bed receivd.
As some victorious Generall, renownd
For many conquests, with a laurell crownd
Doth in a Chariot triumphant ride,
Trumpets before, and people on each side
Of every sort, sex, age, with cries pursue him,
And keep aloofe that they may better view him,
About him leaping ravisht with desire,
And his Majestick presence do admire,
So on his living bark Arion sate
With lute in hand triumphing over fate,
Braves fortune amidst dangers, and behind
Him far outstript he leaves the fleetest wind.
Each orejoyd Triton now his trumpett blowes,
As before Neptune in their sacred showes,
Going before in a well orderd round,
With their shrill Eccho make the heavens resound.
Th'inconstant triple planet of the night
Under a Silver vaile shines cleare and bright,
And, in his favour changing night to day,
Doth round about the neighb'ring shore betray.
Heavens lesser tapers do not now dispence
From their bright Arch malignant influence,
But clearer now then ever seeme to show
What love the Deities unto him owe.
Yet Orpheus lute appeard above the rest,
With the sweet sound of his so much possest,
That, chacing all obscurer clowds away,
It did both light and cheare him with its ray.
Moovd with so strange unparallelld a fate,
And lost in joy, he doubts his happy state,
Believes he's not himselfe, and far below
The object of that grace the heavens bestow.
Sometimes the errour of a dreame believes
Hath drownd his fancy, and his sence deceives;
Sometimes that some enchantments sure have ceazd
His troubled sence, and yet is not lesse pleasd;
At last he finds it true, and plainly sees
That with heavens equity this best agrees,
Heaven, of our innocence the onely stay,
Its sacred justice doth in him display.
For which lest he ingratefull should remaine,
A vice his brest could never entertaine,
A thousand thankes he renders to the fates
To whom voice, lute, and spoiles he consecrates,
To build with them an altar to their glory,
Whereon at large should be incizd his story;
And to make sure the force his vow retaines,
His hand thus seales it with a thousand straines.
His fingers ceremonious formes supply,
The aire a silent witnesse standing by;
Time registers the deed, and saith that he
Will still repeat it to his memory.
Thus as his hand the softly trembling strings
Gently oreruns, the Dolphin as he brings
Him proudly sliding through the waves so fast,
To heare him longer doth delay his hast,
Swimming as deep in joy as in the Sea;
And, seeing now the shore where destiny
Adrest him, staies awhile, this happines
Gladly desiring longer to possesse;
But he at last this joy resigning quite,
Prefers his safety 'fore his owne delight,
And to the neighbring shore his charge he beares,
His ready course streight to that haven steers,
And carefully doth all the way avoid
Rocks, shelfs and sands, where many ships, destroid
When danger, feare, shipwrack and death invade,
Are to inevitable losse betraid.
Arion joyfull comes to land, and now
Doth to the heavens a constant service vow;
The fishes as they 'bout him throng doth view,
Who did his Musick all the way pursue,
And they with pleasure leape into the aire,
Orejoyd to heare a harmony so rare;
Then to the bottome of the deep descend,
And circles raise that do themselves extend,
And multiplying on its smoother brow
Are lost into each other as they grow.
The Dolphin, the proud burthen that he bore
Preservd from danger, now would set a shore,
And full at once of joy and griefe to lose
His charge, the most convenient place doth choose,
There gently laies him downe, seeming to say
With a great leap, Farewell, he swims away.
By strange and powerfull fate Arion thus
Was set downe at the foot of Taenarus,
And through the troubled hazards he sustaind
Thus at the gate of hell he safety gaind.