Nor night nor day shall my ruce music cease: I ask no more so I Menalças please.
THEN, Menalcas, lord of these fair fertile plains, Preserves the sheep and o'er the shepherds reigns; For him our yearly wakes and feasts we hold, And chuse the fairest firstling from the fold: He, good to all who good deserye, shall give Thy flock to feed and thee at ease to live, Shall curb the malice of unbridled tongues, ››› And bounteously reward thy rural songs.
COL. First then shall lightsome birds forget to fly, The briny ocean turn to pastures dry, And ev'ry rapid river cease to flow, Ere I unmindful of Menalcas grow.
THEN. This night thy care with me forget, and fold Thy flock with mine to ward th' injurious cold: 139 New milk and clouted cream, mild cheese and curd, With some remaining fruit of last year's hoard, Shall be our ev'ning fare and for the night Sweet herbs and moss, which gentle, sleep invite, And now behold the sun's departing ray O'er yonder hill, the sign of ebbing day; With songs the jovial hinds return from plough, And unyok'd heiters loit'ring homeward low.
WHEN Virgil thought no shame the Doric reed To tune, and flocks on Mantuan plains to feed, With young Augustus' name he grac'd his song; And Spenser, when amid the rural throng He caroll'd sweet and graz'd along the flood Of gentle Thames, made evry sounding wood With good Eliza's name to ring around; Eliza's name on ev'ry tree was found. Since then thro' Anna's cares at ease we live, And see our cattle unmolested thrive, While from our Albion her victorious arms Drive wasteful warfare, loud in dire alarms, Like them will I my slender music raise, And teach the vocal vallies Anna's praise; Meantime on oaten pipe a lowly lay,
As my kids browse, obscure in shades, I play; Yet not obscure while Dorset thinks no scorn To visit woods and swains ignobly born.
Two valley swains, both musical, both young,
In friendship mutual, and united long, Retire within a mossy cave, to shun
The crowd of shepherds and the noon-day sun :
Nor night nor day shall my ruce music cease: I ask no more so I Menalcas please.
THEN, Menalcas, lord of these fair fertile plains, Preserves the sheep and o'er the shepherds reigns; For him our yearly wakes and feasts we hold, And chuse the fairest firstling from the fold: He, good to all who good deserye, shall give Thy flock to feed and thee at ease to live, Shall curb the malice of unbridled tongues, And bounteously reward thy rural songs,
COL. First then shall lightsome birds forget to fly, The briny ocean turn to pastures dry, And ev'ry rapid river cease to Яow, j
Ere I unmindful of Menalcas grow
THEN. This night thy care with me forget, and fold Thy flock with mine to ward th' injurious cold: 130 New milk and clouted cream, mild cheese and curd, With some remaining fruit of last year's hoard, › Shall be our ev❜ning fare; and for the night Sweet herbs and moss, which gentle, sleep invite, And now behold the sun's departing ray
O'er yonder hill, the sign of ebbing day; With songs the jovial hinds return from plough, And unyok'd heiters loit'ring homeward lgw.
WHEN Virgil thought no shame the Doric reed To tune, and flocks on Mantuan plains to feed, With young Augustus' name he grac'd his song; And Spenser, when amid the rural throng He caroll'd sweet and graz'd along the flood Of gentle Thames, made evry sounding wood With good Eliza's name to ring around; Eliza's name on ev'ry tree was found.
Since then thro' Anna's cares at ease we live, And see our cattle unmolested thrive, While from our Albion her victorious arms Drive wasteful warfare, loud in dire alarms, Like them will I my slender music raise, And teach the vocal vallies Anna's praise; Meantime on oaten pipe a lowly lay,
As my kids browse, obscure in shades, I play; Yet not obscure while Dorset thinks no scorn To visit woods and swains ignobly born.
Two valley swains, both musical, both young, In friendship mutual, and united long,' Retire within a mossy cave, to shun
The crowd of shepherds and the noon-day sun :
A gloom of sadness overcasts their mind; Revolving now the solemn day, they find When young Albino dy'd. His image dear Bedews their cheeks with many a trickling tear: To tears they add the tribute of their verse;
These Angelot, those Palin did rehearse.
ANG. Thus yearly circling by past times return, And yearly thus Albino's death we mourn. Sent into life, alas! how short thy stay!. How sweet the rose! how speedy to decay! Can we forget Albino dear! thy knell, Sad sounding wide from ev'ry village bell? Can we forget how sore y Albion moan'd, That hills, and dales, and rocks, in echo groan'd, Presaging future woe, when for our crimes We lost Albino, pledge of peaceful times, Fair boast of this fair Isla:.d, darling joy Of nobles high and ev'ry shepherd boy! No joyous pipe was heard, no flocks were seen, Nor shepherd found upon the grassy green, No cattle graz'd the field, nor drank the flood, No birds were heard to warble thro' the wood: In yonder gloomy grove outstretch'd he lay, His lovely limbs upon the dampy clay, On his cold cheek the rosy hue decay'd, And o'er his lips the deadly blue display'd: Bleating around him lie his plaintive sheep,
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