The dawning of Desire,
'Who lives,' I said, 'will see that face

Set all the world on fire!'
They mocked; but Time has brought to pass

The saying over-true;
Prophet and martyr now, alas,

I burn for Truth, - and you!
LAIS.

(Pompeius.)
Lais that bloomed for all the world's delight,

Crowned with all love lilies, the fair and dear,
Sleeps the predestined sleep, nor knows the flight

Of Helios, the gold-reined charioteer:
Revel, and kiss, and love, and hate, one Night

Darkens, that never lamp of Love may cheer!
CLEARISTA.

(Meleager.)
For Death, not for Love, hast thou

Loosened thy zone!
Flutes filled thy bower but now,

Morning brings moan!
Maids round thy bridal bed

Hushed are in gloom,
Torches to Love that led

Light to the tomb!
THE FISHERMAN'S TOMB.

(Leonidas of Tarentum.)
Theris the Old, the waves that harvested

More keen than birds that labour in the sea,
With spear and net, by shore and rocky bed,

Not with the well-manned galley laboured he;
Him not the star of storms, nor sudden sweep

Of wind with all his years hath smitten and bent,
But in his hut of reeds he fell asleep,

As fades a lamp when all the oil is spent:
This tomb nor wife nor children raised, but we

His fellow-toilers, fishers of the sea.
OF HIS DEATH.

(Meleager.)
Ah Love, my Master, hear me swear

By all the locks of Timo's hair,
By Demo, and that fragrant spell

Wherewith her body doth enchant
Such dreams as drowsy lovers haunt,

By Ilias' mirth delectable.
And by the lamp that sheds his light

On love and lovers all the night,
By those, ah Love, I swear that thou

Hast left me but one breath, and now
Upon my lips it fluttereth,

Yet THIS I'll yield, my latest breath,
Even this, oh Love, for thee to Death!

RHODOPE.
(Rufinus.)

Thou hast Hera's eyes, thou hast Pallas' hands,
And the feet of the Queen of the yellow sands,

Thou hast beautiful Aphrodite's breast,
Thou art made of each goddess's loveliest!

Happy is he who sees thy face,
Happy who hears thy words of grace,

And he that shall kiss thee is half divine,
But a god who shall win that heart of thine!

TO A GIRL.
(Asclepiades.)

Believe me, love, it is not good
To hoard a mortal maidenhood;

In Hades thou wilt never find,
Maiden, a lover to thy mind;

Love's for the living! presently
Ashes and dust in death are we!

TO THE SHIPS.
(Meleager.)

O gentle ships that skim the seas,
And cleave the strait where Helle fell,

Catch in your sails the Northern breeze,
And speed to Cos, where she doth dwell,

My Love, and see you greet her well!
And if she looks across the blue,

Speak, gentle ships, and tell her true,
'He comes, for Love hath brought him back,

No sailor, on the landward tack.'
If thus, oh gentle ships, ye do,

Then may ye win the fairest gales,
And swifter speed across the blue,

While Zeus breathes friendly on your sails.
A LATE CONVERT.

(Paulus Silentiarius.)
I that in youth had never been

The servant of the Paphian Queen,
I that in youth had never felt

The shafts of Eros pierce and melt,
Cypris! in later age, half grey,

I bow the neck to THEE to-day.
Pallas, that was my lady, thou

Dost more triumphantvanquish now,
Than when thou gained'st, over seas,

The apple of the Hesperides.
THE LIMIT OF LIFE.

Thirty-six is the term that the prophets assign,
And the students of stars to the years that are mine;

Nay, let thirty suffice, for the man who hath passed
Thirty years is a Nestor, and HE died at last!

TO DANIEL ELZEVIR.
(From the Latin of Menage.)

What do I see! Oh gods divine
And goddesses, - this Book of mine, -

This child of many hopes and fears, -
Is published by the Elzevirs!

Oh perfect Publishers complete!
Oh daintyvolume, new and neat!

The Paper doth outshine the snow,
The Print is blacker than the crow,

The Title-Page, with crimson bright,
The vellum cover smooth and white,

All sorts of readers do invite,
Ay, and will keep them reading still,

Against their will, or with their will!
Thus what of grace the Rhymes may lack

The Publisher has given them back,
As Milliners adorn the fair

Whose charms are something skimp and spare.
Oh DULCE DECUS, Elzevirs!

The pride of dead and dawning years,
How can a poet best repay

The debt he owes your House to-day?
May this round world, while aught endures,

Applaud, and buy, these books of yours!
May purchasers incessant pop,

My Elzevirs, within your shop,
And learned bards salute, with cheers,

The volumes of the Elzevirs,
Till your renown fills earth and sky,

Till men forget the Stephani,
And all that Aldus wrought, and all

Turnebus sold in shop or stall,
While still may Fate's (and Binders') shears

Respect, and spare, the Elzevirs!
THE LAST CHANCE.

Within the streams, Pausanias saith,
That down Cocytus valley flow,

Girdling the grey domain of Death,
The spectral fishes come and go;

The ghosts of trout flit to and fro.
Persephone, fulfil my wish,

And grant that in the shades below
My ghost may land the ghosts of fish.

[Greek text which cannot be reproduced]
L. C.

Footnotes:
(1) January 26, 1885.

(2) M. Antoninus iv 23.
(3) From the Romaic.

(4) Aphrodite - Avril.
End

• breath [breθ] n.呼吸；气息 (初中英语单词)
• pierce [piəs] v.刺穿；突破；洞察 (初中英语单词)
• volume [´vɔlju:m, ´vɑljəm] n.卷；书籍；体积；容量 (初中英语单词)
• reading [´ri:diŋ] n.(阅)读；朗读；读物 (初中英语单词)
• salute [sə´lu:t] n.&v.招呼；行礼；敬礼 (初中英语单词)
• wrought [rɔ:t] work 的过去式(分词) (初中英语单词)
• valley [´væli] n.谷；河谷；流域 (初中英语单词)
• fulfil [ful´fil] vt.履行；完成；执行 (初中英语单词)
• saying [´seiŋ, ´sei-iŋ] n.言语；言论；格言 (高中英语单词)
• martyr [´mɑ:tə] n.烈士；殉难者 (高中英语单词)
• fragrant [´freigrənt] a.芳香的，芬芳的 (高中英语单词)
• drowsy [´drauzi] a.困倦的；催眠的 (高中英语单词)
• mortal [´mɔ:tl] a.致命的 n.凡人 (高中英语单词)
• strait [streit] n.海峡 (高中英语单词)
• suffice [sə´fais] vt.使满足 vi.足够 (高中英语单词)
• dainty [´deinti] a.秀丽的 n.美味 (高中英语单词)
• crimson [´krimzən] a.&n.深(紫)红(的) (高中英语单词)
• publisher [´pʌbliʃə] n.书籍出版者；发表者 (高中英语单词)
• learned [´lə:nid] a.有学问的，博学的 (高中英语单词)
• renown [ri´naun] n.名望 vt.使有名望 (高中英语单词)
• bridal [´braidl] a.&n.婚礼(的) (英语四级单词)
• galley [´gæli] n.单层甲板大帆船 (英语四级单词)
• cleave [kli:v] v.劈(开) vi.粘住；依恋 (英语四级单词)
• triumphant [trai´ʌmfənt] a.胜利的；洋洋得意的 (英语四级单词)
• vanquish [´væŋkwiʃ] vt.征服，克服；击败 (英语四级单词)
• domain [də´mein,dəu-] n.领土；版图；范围 (英语四级单词)
• smitten [´smitn] smite的过去分词 (英语六级单词)
• incessant [in´sesənt] a.不断的，不停的 (英语六级单词)