παρθένοι στέψοντι κόροι τ' Αχαιών τοῖς πάλαι κλεινοῖς ἴσον· εἰ δὲ πρίν τι, δάκρυσιν Ἑλλὰς μναμ' ἀειρύτοις.τί γόων ὄνειας; πιγγος ἐνιπὰν ἀνέρων τ' ὀμφὰν ἀΐω ποδῶν τε ἱππικῶν κρότον πολύν ἢ φαεννὰς Ελλάδος βλέπω στίχας, ή βλέπω στίλβ οντα δι' αὔρας ταλόθεν σαμεία, κέαρ δ ̓ ἔσωθεν ἄλλεται βλέποντι τί μάν; τὸ μέλλον ὑψόθεν κραίνει Θεός· Ἐλπίδος δ ̓ ἦν πιστὸν ᾖ, τάχ ̓ αὖ μεγαλώνυμός τιν, Summum ius summa iniuria. Verbera uicinae passus non lenia dextrae pragmatici uafram poscit agrestis opem. 'hem bone! caesus eras pugnis: hem! Iulia de ui lex facit a nobis: lis tibi salua tua est: milia causidico, mihi das duo milia; uinces: ius tibi erit summum, sit modo dicta dies.' 'summum,' ait, 'hoc ius est? iniuria summa crumenae: altera si tanti lis erit, una satis : num capiti fracto medeatur rem quoque frangi, et mihi, quod data sint uerbera, uerba dari?' Περισσοὶ πάντες οἱ ̓ν μέσῳ λόγοι. 1825 Χλώρι, λέγ ̓ εἴ με φιλεῖς τί σαλεύονθ ̓ ὧδε προλείπεις κύμασί μ ̓ ἀντιπάλοις ἐλπίδος ἠδὲ δέους ; φεῦ τί θέλω δυσέρως; μύθου πλέον ἥδε σιωπή μὴ λέγ'· ἔχει φωνὴν ὄμμα, παρῇσι λαλεῖς. Facunda Silentia linguae. (In Statuam Gulielmi Pitt) O Sculptura potens domare Lethen 1826 1825 The Medicean Venus. Lo where in Arno's halls, their noblest charm, her limbs defending with each graceful arm, lest eyes profane should o'er their ripeness rove, the Queen of Beauty fills the air with love! what soul, with Fable's rich creations fraught, to silent life that sweet ideal wrought? had he not loved a Naiad as he slept, and woke, a fond despairing nympholept? or (it might be) near some enchanted wood, where the bee murmured and the stockdove coo'd, while summer scattered in her twilight hour scents on the breeze and dews on herb and flow'r, intent upon the slowly dark'ning sky and careless of the brook's faint lullaby sweet smiles and sweeter sighs and coy alarms she stood unveil'd in Ida's greenest glen and smiling heard the Dardan's cry, 'the Three are beautiful, most beautiful is She;' melting and warm, as when the Lord of War (sheath'd his red sword and rein'd his iron car) while thrall'd in her triumphant arms he lies, feeds with her face the passion of his eyes'. entranced awhile the full-souled artist lay, and even in slumber gazed his heart away; then woke, and swift by Memory's summon'd aid to seize each waning light, each flitting shade, he won the conquest o'er oblivious death, and gave the glorious vision-all but breath. 1825 Scopulis surdior. Mens mea seclusis arcanum condidit antris, unum amat, officiis fungi, sint tristia quamuis, From the French. 1 Lucr. I. 36, pascit amore auidos inhians in te, Dea, uisus. The Translations which follow, 'Snatches of Song, chiefly from the German, date from tours in 1831 and 1832. Der Wanderer. I WANDER on the lonely shore ; and sigh and murmur, 'whither? where?' the sun, methinks, is here so cold, o where art thou, my fatherland, Ecco ridente il cielo! (ROSSINI.) THE rosy smile of morning so rise, my love, and dawning |