The Third Pastoral
ENALCAS, DAMOETAS, PALÆMON .
MENALCAS.
T O whom belongs this flock, D AMOETAS , pray:
To M ELIBOEUS ?
DAMOETAS.
No; the other day
The shepherd Æ GON gave it me to keep.
MENALCAS.
A H still neglected, still unhappy sheep!
He plies N EÆRA with assiduous love,
And fears lest she my happier flame approve;
Meanwhile this hireling wretch (disgrace to swains!)
Defrauds his master, and purloins his gains,
Milks twice an hour, and drains the famish'd dams,
Whose empty dugs in vain attract the lambs.
DAMOETAS.
F ORBEAR on men such language to bestow.
Thee, stain of manhood! thee, full well I know.
I know, with whom — and where — (their grove defil'd
The nymphs reveng'd not, but indulgent smil'd)
And how the goats beheld, then browzing near,
The shameful sight with a lascivious leer.
MENALCAS.
No doubt, when M YCON'S tender trees I broke,
And gash'd his young vines with a blunted hook.
DAMOETAS.
O R when conceal'd behind this antient row
Of beeche, you broke young D APHNIS ' shafts and bow,
With sharpest pangs of rancorous anguish stung
To see the gift confer'd on one so young;
And had you not thus wreak'd your sordid spite,
Of very envy you had died outright.
MENALCAS.
G ODS ! what may masters dare, when such a pitch
Of impudence their thievish hirelings reach!
Did I not, wretch (deny it if you dare)
Did I not see you D AMON'S goat ensnare?
Lycisca bark'd; then I the felon spy'd,
And " Whither slinks yon sneaking thief " ? I cry'd.
The thief discover'd straight his prey forsook,
And skulk'd amid the sedges of the brook.
DAMOETAS.
T HAT goat my pipe from D AMON fairly gain'd;
A match was set, and I the prize obtain'd.
He own'd it due to my superior skill,
And yet refus'd his bargain to fulfil.
MENALCAS.
B Y your superior skill — the goat was won!
Have you a jointed pipe, indecent clown!
Whose whizzing straws with harshest discord jar'd,
As in the streets your wretched rhymes you mar'd.
DAMOETAS.
Boasts are but vain. I'm ready, when you will,
To make a solemn trial of our skill.
I stake this heifer, no ignoble prize;
Two calves from her full udder she supplies,
And twice a day her milk the pail o'erflows;
What pledge of equal worth will you expose?
MENALCAS.
O UGHT from the flock I dare not risque; I fear
A cruel stepdame, and a sire severe,
Who of their store so strict a reckoning keep,
That twice a-day they count the kids and sheep.
But, since you purpose to be mad to-day,
Two beechen cups I scruple not to lay,
(Whose far superior worth yourself will own)
The labour'd work of fam'd A LCIMEDON .
Rais'd round the brims by the engraver's care
The flaunting vine unfolds its foliage fair;
Entwin'd the ivy's tendrils seem to grow,
Half-hid in leaves its mimic berries glow:
Two figures rise below, of curious frame,
C ONON , and — what's that other sage's name,
Who with his rod describ'd the world's vast round
Taught when to reap, and when to till the ground
At home I have reserv'd them unprofan'd,
No lip has e'er their glossy polish stain'd.
DAMOETAS.
T WO cups for me that skilful Artist made;
Their handles with acanthus are array'd;
O RPHEUS is in the midst, whose magic song
Leads in tumultuous dance the lofty groves a-long.
At home I have reserv'd them unprofan'd,
No lip has e'er their glossy polish stain'd.
But my pledg'd heifer if aright you prize,
The cups so much extol'd you will despise.
MENALCAS.
T HESE arts, proud boaster, all are lost on me;
To any terms I readily agree.
You shall not boast your victory to-day,
Let him be judge who pasles first this way:
And see the good P ALÆMON ! trust me, swain,
You'll be more cautious how you brag again.
DAMOETAS.
D ELAYS I brook not; if you dare, proceed;
At singing no antagonist I dread.
P ALÆMON listen to th' important songs,
To such debates attention strict belongs.
PALÆMON.
S ING then. A couch the flowery herbage yields:
Now blossom all the trees, and all the fields;
And all the woods their pomp of foliage wear,
And Nature's fairest robe adorns the blooming year.
D AMOETAS first th' alternate lay shall raise:
Th' inspiring Muses love alternate lays.
DAMOETAS.
J OVE first I sing; ye Muses, aid my lay;
All nature owns his energy and sway;
The earth and heavens his sovereign bounty share,
And to my verses he vouchsafes his care.
MENALCAS.
W ITH great A POLLO I begin the strain,
For I am great A POLLO'S favourite swain;
For him the purple hyacinth I wear,
And sacred bay to P HOEBUS ever dear.
DAMOETAS.
T HE sprightly G ALATEA at my head
An apple flung, and to the willows fled;
But as along the level lawn she flew,
The wanton wish'd not to escape my view.
MENALCAS.
I LANGUISH'D long for fair A MYNTAS ' charms,
But now he comes unbidden to my arms,
And with my dogs is so familiar grown,
That my own D ELIA is no better known.
DAMOETAS.
I LATELY mark'd where midst the verdant shade
Two parent-doves had built their leafy bed;
I from the nest the young will shortly take,
And to my Love an handsome present make.
MENALCAS.
T EN ruddy wildings, from a lofty bough,
That through the green leaves beam'd with yellow glow,
I brought away, and to A MYNTAS bore;
Tomorrow I shall send as many more.
DAMOETAS.
A H the keen raptures! when my yielding Fair
Breath'd her kind whispers to my ravish'd ear!
Waft, gentle gales, her accents to the skies,
That Gods themselves may hear with sweet surprise.
MENALCAS.
W HAT , though I am not wretched by your scorn?
Say, beauteous boy, say can I cease to mourn,
If, while I hold the nets, the boar you face,
And rashly brave the dangers of the chace.
DAMOETAS.
S END P HYLLIS home, I OLAS , for to-day
I celebrate my birth, and all is gay;
When for my crop the victim I prepare,
I OLAS in our festival may share.
MENALCAS.
P HYLLIS I love; she more than all can charm,
And mutual fires her gentle bosom warm:
Tears, when I leave her, bathe her beauteous eyes,
" A long, a long adieu, my Love! " she cries.
DAMOETAS.
T HE wolf is dreadful to the wooly train,
Fatal to harvests is the crushing rain,
To the green woods the winds destructive prove,
To me the rage of mine offended Love.
MENALCAS.
T HE willow's grateful to the pregnant ewes,
Showers to the corns, to kids the mountain-browse;
More grateful far to me my lovely boy,
In sweet A MYNTAS centers all my joy.
DAMOETAS.
E VEN P OLLIO deigns to hear my rural lays,
And chears the bashful Muse with generous praise;
Ye sacred N INE , for your great Patron feed
A beauteous heifer of the noblest breed.
MENALCAS.
P OLLIO the art of heavenly song adorns;
Then let a bull be bred with butting horns,
And ample front, that bellowing spurns the ground,
Tears up the turf, and throws the sands around.
DAMOETAS.
H IM who my P OLLIO loves may nought annoy,
May he like P OLLIO every wish enjoy,
O may his happy lands with honey flow,
And on his thorns Assyrian roses blow!
MENALCAS.
W HO hates not foolish B AVIUS , let him love
Thee, M ÆVIUS , and thy tasteless rhymes approve!
Nor needs it thy admirer's reason shock
To milk the he-goats, and the foxes yoke.
DAMOETAS.
Y E boys, on garlands who employ your care,
And pull the creeping strawberries, beware,
Fly for your lives, and leave that fatal place,
A deadly snake lies lurking in the grass.
MENALCAS.
F ORBEAR , my flocks, and warily proceed,
Nor on that faithless bank securely tread;
The heedless ram late plung'd amid the pool,
And in the sun now dries his reeking wool.
DAMOETAS.
Ho T ITYRUS ! lead back the browsing flock,
And let them feed at distance from the brook;
At bathing-time I to the shade will bring
My goats, and wash them in the cooling spring.
MENALCAS.
H ASTE , from the sultry lawn the flocks remove
To the cool shelter of the shady grove:
When burning noon the curdling udder dries,
Th' ungrateful teats in vain the shepherd plies.
DAMOETAS.
H OW lean my bull in yonder mead appears,
Though the fat soil the richest pasture stars!
Ah Love! thou reign'st supreme in every heart,
Both flocks and shepherds languish with thy dart.
MENALCAS.
L OVE has not injur'd my consumptive flocks,
Yet bare their bones, and faded are their looks;
What envious eye hath squinted on my dams,
And sent its poison to my tender lambs!
DAMOETAS.
S AY in what distant land the eye descries
But three short ells of all th' expanded skies;
Tell this, and great A POLLO be your name;
Your skill is equal, equal be your fame.
MENALCAS.
S AY in what soil a wondrous flower is born,
Whose leaves the sacred names of kings adorn;
Tell this, and take my P HYLLIS to your arms,
And reign th' unrival'd sovereign of her charms.
PALÆMON.
'T IS not for me these high disputes to end;
Each to the heifer justly may pretend.
Such be their fortune, who so well can sing,
From love what painful joys, what pleasing torments spring.
Now, boys, obstruct the course of yonder rill,
The meadows have already drunk their fill.
MENALCAS.
T O whom belongs this flock, D AMOETAS , pray:
To M ELIBOEUS ?
DAMOETAS.
No; the other day
The shepherd Æ GON gave it me to keep.
MENALCAS.
A H still neglected, still unhappy sheep!
He plies N EÆRA with assiduous love,
And fears lest she my happier flame approve;
Meanwhile this hireling wretch (disgrace to swains!)
Defrauds his master, and purloins his gains,
Milks twice an hour, and drains the famish'd dams,
Whose empty dugs in vain attract the lambs.
DAMOETAS.
F ORBEAR on men such language to bestow.
Thee, stain of manhood! thee, full well I know.
I know, with whom — and where — (their grove defil'd
The nymphs reveng'd not, but indulgent smil'd)
And how the goats beheld, then browzing near,
The shameful sight with a lascivious leer.
MENALCAS.
No doubt, when M YCON'S tender trees I broke,
And gash'd his young vines with a blunted hook.
DAMOETAS.
O R when conceal'd behind this antient row
Of beeche, you broke young D APHNIS ' shafts and bow,
With sharpest pangs of rancorous anguish stung
To see the gift confer'd on one so young;
And had you not thus wreak'd your sordid spite,
Of very envy you had died outright.
MENALCAS.
G ODS ! what may masters dare, when such a pitch
Of impudence their thievish hirelings reach!
Did I not, wretch (deny it if you dare)
Did I not see you D AMON'S goat ensnare?
Lycisca bark'd; then I the felon spy'd,
And " Whither slinks yon sneaking thief " ? I cry'd.
The thief discover'd straight his prey forsook,
And skulk'd amid the sedges of the brook.
DAMOETAS.
T HAT goat my pipe from D AMON fairly gain'd;
A match was set, and I the prize obtain'd.
He own'd it due to my superior skill,
And yet refus'd his bargain to fulfil.
MENALCAS.
B Y your superior skill — the goat was won!
Have you a jointed pipe, indecent clown!
Whose whizzing straws with harshest discord jar'd,
As in the streets your wretched rhymes you mar'd.
DAMOETAS.
Boasts are but vain. I'm ready, when you will,
To make a solemn trial of our skill.
I stake this heifer, no ignoble prize;
Two calves from her full udder she supplies,
And twice a day her milk the pail o'erflows;
What pledge of equal worth will you expose?
MENALCAS.
O UGHT from the flock I dare not risque; I fear
A cruel stepdame, and a sire severe,
Who of their store so strict a reckoning keep,
That twice a-day they count the kids and sheep.
But, since you purpose to be mad to-day,
Two beechen cups I scruple not to lay,
(Whose far superior worth yourself will own)
The labour'd work of fam'd A LCIMEDON .
Rais'd round the brims by the engraver's care
The flaunting vine unfolds its foliage fair;
Entwin'd the ivy's tendrils seem to grow,
Half-hid in leaves its mimic berries glow:
Two figures rise below, of curious frame,
C ONON , and — what's that other sage's name,
Who with his rod describ'd the world's vast round
Taught when to reap, and when to till the ground
At home I have reserv'd them unprofan'd,
No lip has e'er their glossy polish stain'd.
DAMOETAS.
T WO cups for me that skilful Artist made;
Their handles with acanthus are array'd;
O RPHEUS is in the midst, whose magic song
Leads in tumultuous dance the lofty groves a-long.
At home I have reserv'd them unprofan'd,
No lip has e'er their glossy polish stain'd.
But my pledg'd heifer if aright you prize,
The cups so much extol'd you will despise.
MENALCAS.
T HESE arts, proud boaster, all are lost on me;
To any terms I readily agree.
You shall not boast your victory to-day,
Let him be judge who pasles first this way:
And see the good P ALÆMON ! trust me, swain,
You'll be more cautious how you brag again.
DAMOETAS.
D ELAYS I brook not; if you dare, proceed;
At singing no antagonist I dread.
P ALÆMON listen to th' important songs,
To such debates attention strict belongs.
PALÆMON.
S ING then. A couch the flowery herbage yields:
Now blossom all the trees, and all the fields;
And all the woods their pomp of foliage wear,
And Nature's fairest robe adorns the blooming year.
D AMOETAS first th' alternate lay shall raise:
Th' inspiring Muses love alternate lays.
DAMOETAS.
J OVE first I sing; ye Muses, aid my lay;
All nature owns his energy and sway;
The earth and heavens his sovereign bounty share,
And to my verses he vouchsafes his care.
MENALCAS.
W ITH great A POLLO I begin the strain,
For I am great A POLLO'S favourite swain;
For him the purple hyacinth I wear,
And sacred bay to P HOEBUS ever dear.
DAMOETAS.
T HE sprightly G ALATEA at my head
An apple flung, and to the willows fled;
But as along the level lawn she flew,
The wanton wish'd not to escape my view.
MENALCAS.
I LANGUISH'D long for fair A MYNTAS ' charms,
But now he comes unbidden to my arms,
And with my dogs is so familiar grown,
That my own D ELIA is no better known.
DAMOETAS.
I LATELY mark'd where midst the verdant shade
Two parent-doves had built their leafy bed;
I from the nest the young will shortly take,
And to my Love an handsome present make.
MENALCAS.
T EN ruddy wildings, from a lofty bough,
That through the green leaves beam'd with yellow glow,
I brought away, and to A MYNTAS bore;
Tomorrow I shall send as many more.
DAMOETAS.
A H the keen raptures! when my yielding Fair
Breath'd her kind whispers to my ravish'd ear!
Waft, gentle gales, her accents to the skies,
That Gods themselves may hear with sweet surprise.
MENALCAS.
W HAT , though I am not wretched by your scorn?
Say, beauteous boy, say can I cease to mourn,
If, while I hold the nets, the boar you face,
And rashly brave the dangers of the chace.
DAMOETAS.
S END P HYLLIS home, I OLAS , for to-day
I celebrate my birth, and all is gay;
When for my crop the victim I prepare,
I OLAS in our festival may share.
MENALCAS.
P HYLLIS I love; she more than all can charm,
And mutual fires her gentle bosom warm:
Tears, when I leave her, bathe her beauteous eyes,
" A long, a long adieu, my Love! " she cries.
DAMOETAS.
T HE wolf is dreadful to the wooly train,
Fatal to harvests is the crushing rain,
To the green woods the winds destructive prove,
To me the rage of mine offended Love.
MENALCAS.
T HE willow's grateful to the pregnant ewes,
Showers to the corns, to kids the mountain-browse;
More grateful far to me my lovely boy,
In sweet A MYNTAS centers all my joy.
DAMOETAS.
E VEN P OLLIO deigns to hear my rural lays,
And chears the bashful Muse with generous praise;
Ye sacred N INE , for your great Patron feed
A beauteous heifer of the noblest breed.
MENALCAS.
P OLLIO the art of heavenly song adorns;
Then let a bull be bred with butting horns,
And ample front, that bellowing spurns the ground,
Tears up the turf, and throws the sands around.
DAMOETAS.
H IM who my P OLLIO loves may nought annoy,
May he like P OLLIO every wish enjoy,
O may his happy lands with honey flow,
And on his thorns Assyrian roses blow!
MENALCAS.
W HO hates not foolish B AVIUS , let him love
Thee, M ÆVIUS , and thy tasteless rhymes approve!
Nor needs it thy admirer's reason shock
To milk the he-goats, and the foxes yoke.
DAMOETAS.
Y E boys, on garlands who employ your care,
And pull the creeping strawberries, beware,
Fly for your lives, and leave that fatal place,
A deadly snake lies lurking in the grass.
MENALCAS.
F ORBEAR , my flocks, and warily proceed,
Nor on that faithless bank securely tread;
The heedless ram late plung'd amid the pool,
And in the sun now dries his reeking wool.
DAMOETAS.
Ho T ITYRUS ! lead back the browsing flock,
And let them feed at distance from the brook;
At bathing-time I to the shade will bring
My goats, and wash them in the cooling spring.
MENALCAS.
H ASTE , from the sultry lawn the flocks remove
To the cool shelter of the shady grove:
When burning noon the curdling udder dries,
Th' ungrateful teats in vain the shepherd plies.
DAMOETAS.
H OW lean my bull in yonder mead appears,
Though the fat soil the richest pasture stars!
Ah Love! thou reign'st supreme in every heart,
Both flocks and shepherds languish with thy dart.
MENALCAS.
L OVE has not injur'd my consumptive flocks,
Yet bare their bones, and faded are their looks;
What envious eye hath squinted on my dams,
And sent its poison to my tender lambs!
DAMOETAS.
S AY in what distant land the eye descries
But three short ells of all th' expanded skies;
Tell this, and great A POLLO be your name;
Your skill is equal, equal be your fame.
MENALCAS.
S AY in what soil a wondrous flower is born,
Whose leaves the sacred names of kings adorn;
Tell this, and take my P HYLLIS to your arms,
And reign th' unrival'd sovereign of her charms.
PALÆMON.
'T IS not for me these high disputes to end;
Each to the heifer justly may pretend.
Such be their fortune, who so well can sing,
From love what painful joys, what pleasing torments spring.
Now, boys, obstruct the course of yonder rill,
The meadows have already drunk their fill.
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