DOI Seite / Zitierlink:
https://doi.org/10.11588/diglit.9260#0148
PHOSEON Lib. IV.
Intempefiva turbantes fefa Minerva,
Aut ducunt Unas, aut famina pollice ver-
fant,
Aut haerent telae, famulasque laboribus ur-
guent. g 5
E quibus una levi de due ens pollice jilum,
Dum ceffant aliae, comment aque facra fre-
quent ant ,
ISfos quoque, quas F alias, melior Dea, de-
tine t, inquit}
Utile opus manuum vario fermone levemus :
Per que vices aliquid ,quod tempora longa wi-
den 4°
JSfon finat , in medium vacuas referamus ad
aures.
DiBa probant , primamque jubent narrare
forores.
Ilia, quid e mult is refer at (namplurima nor at)
Cogitatj & dubia ef ,de te, Babylonia, narret,
Derceti ,quam verfa fquamis velantibus ar-
tus 45
Stagna Palaeftini credunt celebraffe fgura :
An magis ut fumtis illius Filia pennis
Extremos albis in turribus egerit annos.
ISfa'is an ut cantu, nimiumque potentibus her bis,
Verterit in tacitos juvenilia corpora pifces: 50
Donee idem pajfa ef. an,quaepoma albaferebat,
XJtnunc nigra ferat contattu fangmnis arbor.
Haec placet: banc, quoniam vulgaris fabula
non ef,
Talibus orfa modis, lana fua fla fequente.
Fjramus & Thisbe, juvenum pulcherrimus
alter,
Altera, quas Oriens habuit,praelatapuellis,
Contiguas tenuere domos: ubi dicitur alt am
CoBiltbus muris• cinxiffe Semir amis urbem-.
Notit1am, primosque gradus vicinia fecit>
'Tempore crevit amor , taedae quoque jure
coijfent, 60
Sed vetuere patres, quod non potuere vet are.
Ex aequo captis ardebant mentibus ambo.
Confcius omnis abef. nutu fgnisque loquuntur.
Quoque magis tegitur,te£lus magis aefuat ignis.
Fiffus erat tenui rima, quam duxerat olim, 65
Cum fere t paries domui communis utrtque.
Id vitium nulli per fecula longa notatum,
( Quid non fentit amor ? ) primi fenfif is a-
mantes,
Et voci fecifis iter: tutaeque per Mud
Murmure blanditiae minimo tranfre fole-
bant. jo
Tom. I.
Saepe,
PHOSES. Book IV. 113
But Mineus Daughters, while thefe Rites were
pay'd,
At home, impertinently bufie, ftay'd.
Their wicked. Tasks they ply with various Art,
And thro' the Loom the Aiding; Shuttle dart:
Or at the Fire to comb the Wooll they ftand,
Or twirl the Spindle with a dextrous Hand.
Guilty themfelves, they Force the Guiltlefi in;
Their Maids, who fliare the Labour, ftiare the Sin.
At laffc one Sifter cries, who nimbly knew
To draw nice Threads, and winde the fineft Clue,
While others idly rove, and Gods revere,
Their Fancy'd Gods! they know not who, or where?
Let us, whom Pallas taught her better Arts,
Still working, cheer with mirthful Chat our Hearts,
And to deceive the Time, let me prevail
With each by turns to tell fome antique Tale.
She faid : her Sifters lik'd the Humour well,
And miiling, bad her the firft Story tell.
But flie awhile profoundly feem'd to mufe,
Perplex'd amid Variety to chufe :
And knew not, whether flbe fhould firft relate
The poor Vercetis, and her wondrous Fate.
The Paleftines believe it to a Man,
And fhow the Lake, in which her Scales began.
Or iF flie rather fhould the Daughter fing,
Who in the hoary Verge oF Life took Wing-,
Who fbar'd From Earth,and dwelt in Tow'rs on high,
And now a Dove, flie flits along the Sky.
Or how lewd Nais, when her Luft was cloy'd,
To Fiflies turn'd the Youths, flie had enjoy'd,
By pow'rful Verfe, and Herbs; EfFecl; moft ftrange!
At laft the Changer fliar'd herfelf the Change.
Or how the Tree, which once white Berries bore,
Still crimfon bears, fince ftain'd with crimfon Gore.
The Tree was new; flie likes it, and begins
To tell the Tale, and as flie tells, flie fpins.
In Babylon, where firft her Queen, For State
Rais'd Walls of Brick magnificently great,
Liv'd Pyramus, and Thisbe, lovely Pair! ^
.He found no Eaftern Youth his Equal there, I
And flie beyond the faireft Nymph was fair. i
A cloier Neighbourhood was never known,
Tho' two the Houfes, yet the Roof was one.
Acquaintance grew, th' Acquaintance they improve
To Friendfliip, Friendihip ripen'd into Love :
Love had been crown'd, but impotently mad,
What Parents could not hinder, they forbad.
For with fierce Flames young Pyramus ftill burn'd,
And grateFul Thisbe Flames as fierce return'd.
Aloud in Words their Thoughts they dare not break.
But filent ftand, and filent Looks can {peak.
The Fire of Love the more it is fupprelt,
The more it glows, and rages in the Breaft.
When the Divifion-wall was built, a Chink
Was left, the Cement unobferv'd to /brink.
So flight the Cranny, that it ftill had been
For Centuries unclos'd, becaufe unfeen.
But oh ! what thing fb fmall, fb fecret lies,
Which fcapes, if fbrm'd for Love, a Lover's Eyes?
Ev'n in this narrow Chink they quickly found
A friendly PafTage for a tracklefs Sound.
P Safely
Intempefiva turbantes fefa Minerva,
Aut ducunt Unas, aut famina pollice ver-
fant,
Aut haerent telae, famulasque laboribus ur-
guent. g 5
E quibus una levi de due ens pollice jilum,
Dum ceffant aliae, comment aque facra fre-
quent ant ,
ISfos quoque, quas F alias, melior Dea, de-
tine t, inquit}
Utile opus manuum vario fermone levemus :
Per que vices aliquid ,quod tempora longa wi-
den 4°
JSfon finat , in medium vacuas referamus ad
aures.
DiBa probant , primamque jubent narrare
forores.
Ilia, quid e mult is refer at (namplurima nor at)
Cogitatj & dubia ef ,de te, Babylonia, narret,
Derceti ,quam verfa fquamis velantibus ar-
tus 45
Stagna Palaeftini credunt celebraffe fgura :
An magis ut fumtis illius Filia pennis
Extremos albis in turribus egerit annos.
ISfa'is an ut cantu, nimiumque potentibus her bis,
Verterit in tacitos juvenilia corpora pifces: 50
Donee idem pajfa ef. an,quaepoma albaferebat,
XJtnunc nigra ferat contattu fangmnis arbor.
Haec placet: banc, quoniam vulgaris fabula
non ef,
Talibus orfa modis, lana fua fla fequente.
Fjramus & Thisbe, juvenum pulcherrimus
alter,
Altera, quas Oriens habuit,praelatapuellis,
Contiguas tenuere domos: ubi dicitur alt am
CoBiltbus muris• cinxiffe Semir amis urbem-.
Notit1am, primosque gradus vicinia fecit>
'Tempore crevit amor , taedae quoque jure
coijfent, 60
Sed vetuere patres, quod non potuere vet are.
Ex aequo captis ardebant mentibus ambo.
Confcius omnis abef. nutu fgnisque loquuntur.
Quoque magis tegitur,te£lus magis aefuat ignis.
Fiffus erat tenui rima, quam duxerat olim, 65
Cum fere t paries domui communis utrtque.
Id vitium nulli per fecula longa notatum,
( Quid non fentit amor ? ) primi fenfif is a-
mantes,
Et voci fecifis iter: tutaeque per Mud
Murmure blanditiae minimo tranfre fole-
bant. jo
Tom. I.
Saepe,
PHOSES. Book IV. 113
But Mineus Daughters, while thefe Rites were
pay'd,
At home, impertinently bufie, ftay'd.
Their wicked. Tasks they ply with various Art,
And thro' the Loom the Aiding; Shuttle dart:
Or at the Fire to comb the Wooll they ftand,
Or twirl the Spindle with a dextrous Hand.
Guilty themfelves, they Force the Guiltlefi in;
Their Maids, who fliare the Labour, ftiare the Sin.
At laffc one Sifter cries, who nimbly knew
To draw nice Threads, and winde the fineft Clue,
While others idly rove, and Gods revere,
Their Fancy'd Gods! they know not who, or where?
Let us, whom Pallas taught her better Arts,
Still working, cheer with mirthful Chat our Hearts,
And to deceive the Time, let me prevail
With each by turns to tell fome antique Tale.
She faid : her Sifters lik'd the Humour well,
And miiling, bad her the firft Story tell.
But flie awhile profoundly feem'd to mufe,
Perplex'd amid Variety to chufe :
And knew not, whether flbe fhould firft relate
The poor Vercetis, and her wondrous Fate.
The Paleftines believe it to a Man,
And fhow the Lake, in which her Scales began.
Or iF flie rather fhould the Daughter fing,
Who in the hoary Verge oF Life took Wing-,
Who fbar'd From Earth,and dwelt in Tow'rs on high,
And now a Dove, flie flits along the Sky.
Or how lewd Nais, when her Luft was cloy'd,
To Fiflies turn'd the Youths, flie had enjoy'd,
By pow'rful Verfe, and Herbs; EfFecl; moft ftrange!
At laft the Changer fliar'd herfelf the Change.
Or how the Tree, which once white Berries bore,
Still crimfon bears, fince ftain'd with crimfon Gore.
The Tree was new; flie likes it, and begins
To tell the Tale, and as flie tells, flie fpins.
In Babylon, where firft her Queen, For State
Rais'd Walls of Brick magnificently great,
Liv'd Pyramus, and Thisbe, lovely Pair! ^
.He found no Eaftern Youth his Equal there, I
And flie beyond the faireft Nymph was fair. i
A cloier Neighbourhood was never known,
Tho' two the Houfes, yet the Roof was one.
Acquaintance grew, th' Acquaintance they improve
To Friendfliip, Friendihip ripen'd into Love :
Love had been crown'd, but impotently mad,
What Parents could not hinder, they forbad.
For with fierce Flames young Pyramus ftill burn'd,
And grateFul Thisbe Flames as fierce return'd.
Aloud in Words their Thoughts they dare not break.
But filent ftand, and filent Looks can {peak.
The Fire of Love the more it is fupprelt,
The more it glows, and rages in the Breaft.
When the Divifion-wall was built, a Chink
Was left, the Cement unobferv'd to /brink.
So flight the Cranny, that it ftill had been
For Centuries unclos'd, becaufe unfeen.
But oh ! what thing fb fmall, fb fecret lies,
Which fcapes, if fbrm'd for Love, a Lover's Eyes?
Ev'n in this narrow Chink they quickly found
A friendly PafTage for a tracklefs Sound.
P Safely