Black Melancholy fits, and round her throws
A death-like filence, and a dread repose:
Her gloomy prefence faddens all the scene,
Shades ev'ry flower, and darkens ev'ry green,
Deepens the murmur of the falling floods,
And breathes a browner horror on the woods.
Yet here for ever, ever must I stay;
Sad proof how well a lover can obey!
Death, only death, can break the lasting chain;
And here, even then, fhall my cold dust remain,
Here all its frailties, all its flames refign,
And wait till 'tis no fin to mix with thine.
Ah wretch! believed the spouse of God in vain,
Confefs'd within the flave of love and man.
Affift me, heaven! but whence arofe that prayer?
Sprung it from piety, or from despair ?
Ev'n here, where frozen chastity retires,
Love finds an altar for forbidden fires.
I ought to grieve, but cannot what I ought;
I mourn the lover, not lament the fault;
Vefte fedens atra circum loca triftia rores
Lethæos, nubem funereamque jacit.
Pallida contriftat totum præfentia campum,
Marcefcunt flores, deperiere comæ :
Illius adventu gravius fit murmur aquarum
Et premit ilignum denfior umbra nemus.
Ipfa tamen duro difcens parere magiftro
Hanc captiva domum tempus in omne colam.
Cum mors has folvet, quæ folvet sola, catenas,
Hos eadem cineres facra recondet humus.
Hic pofiti fileant ignes, peccata quiefcant,
Contenta et jaceam pulvere mixta tuo.
O mifera! humanæ confeffa libidinis cftrum
Perjura, et fruftra credita nupta Dei.
Sancte Pater, miferere mei! dum crimina ploro
Vix aufa incertas ingeminare preces!
Hanc vocem an pietas, an defperatio jactat?
Unde preces ortæ ? quo vaga mente feror?
Hic et virginitas quo frigida confugit, aram
Accendit vetitis ignibus acer Amor.
Cum doluiffe velim, me non doluiffe dolendum est;
Me piget haud culpæ poffe pigere meæ.
I view my crime, but kindle at the view,
Repent old pleasures, and folicit new ;
Now turn'd to heaven, I weep my past offence,
Now think of thee, and curfe my innocence,
Of all affliction taught a lover yet,
'Tis fure the hardest science to forget!
How fhall I lofe the fin, yet keep the fenfe,
And love th' offender, yet detest th' offence?
How the dear object from the crime remove,
Or how distinguish penitence from love?
Unequal task! a paffion to refign,
For hearts fo touch'd, fo pierced, fo loft as mine.
Ere fuch a foul regains its peaceful state,
How often muft it love, how often hate!
How often hope, despair, resent, regret,
Conceal, difdain,-do all things but forget.
But let heaven feize it, all at once 'tis fired;
Not touch'd, but rapt; not waken'd, but inspired!
Oh come! oh teach me nature to fubdue,
Renounce my love, my life, myself— and you.
Fill my fond heart with God alone, for he
Alone can rival, can fucceed to thee.
Agnofco culpas, fateor; fed faffa calefco;
Odi præteritas, follicitoque novas.
Nunc, cœli memorem, peccati pœnitet; angit
Nunc pietas victam me, memoremque tui.
Rebus in extremis, res eft duriffima amanti,
Scilicet ardoris non meminiffe fui.
Solvere me culpa potero, retinereque sensum ?
Aut odiffe malum, quin et amare reum?
Qui potero dulci fecernere crimen amanti?
Et quid fit pietas dicere, quid fit amor?
Ardua res fane, lacerum cor vulnere tali
Difcat ut ardores dedidiciffe fuos.
Quantus amor quantumque odium manet ante ferendum
Mens ea quam poterit pace priore frui?
Ira, dolor, lacrymæ, fpes, indignatio, amantem
Omnia, præterquam non meminiffe, decent.
Me fimul ac cœlum rapuit, nova flamma cietur;
Divino afflatu mens agitata calet.
O dilecte veni, et veniens ita fac, ut amorem
Cœlo fubjiciam, teque animamque meam;
Tu mihi care Deum inspira; fuccedere folus
Nam Deus ipfe poteft, æmulus effe tui.
How happy is the blameless Vestal's lot?
The world forgetting, by the world forgot:
Eternal sunshine of the spotless mind!
Each prayer accepted, and each with refign'd;
Labour and reft, that equal periods keep;
“Obedient slumbers that can wake and weep ;"
Defires compofed, affections ever even ;
Tears that delight, and fighs that waft to heaven.
Grace fhines around her with ferenest beams,
And whispering Angels prompt her golden dreams.
For her th' unfading rose of Eden blooms,
And wings of Seraphs shed divine perfumes,
For her the Spouse prepares the bridal ring,
For her white virgins Hymenæals fing,
To founds of heavenly harps fhe dies away,
And melts in vifions of eternal day.
Far other dreams my erring foul employ,
Far other raptures, of unholy joy:
When at the clofe of each fad, forrowing day,
Fancy reftores what vengeance fnatch'd away,
Then confcience fleeps, and leaving nature free,
All my loose foul unbounded springs to thee.
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