Volume III Part 6 (2/2)

And now to Juno's temple they are come, Where her grave priest stood in the marriage-room: On his right arm did hang a scarlet veil, And from his shoulders to the ground did trail, 350 On either side, ribands of white and blue: With the red veil he hid the bashful hue Of the chaste bride, to show the modest shame, In coupling with a man, should grace a dame.

Then took he the disparent silks, and tied The lovers by the waists, and side to side, In token that thereafter they must bind In one self-sacred knot each other's mind.

Before them on an altar he presented Both fire and water, which was first invented, 360 Since to ingenerate every human creature And every other birth produc'd by Nature, Moisture and heat must mix; so man and wife For human race must join in nuptial life.

Then one of Juno's birds, the painted jay, He sacrific'd and took the gall away; All which he did behind the altar throw, In sign no bitterness of hate should grow, 'Twixt married loves, nor any least disdain.

Nothing they spake, for 'twas esteem'd too plain 370 For the most silken mildness of a maid, To let a public audience hear it said, She boldly took the man; and so respected Was bashfulness in Athens, it erected To chaste Agneia,[103] which is Shamefacedness, A sacred temple, holding her a G.o.ddess.

And now to feasts, masks, and triumphant shows, The s.h.i.+ning troops returned, even till earth-throes Brought forth with joy the thickest part of night, When the sweet nuptial song, that used to cite 380 All to their rest, was by Phemonoe[104] sung, First Delphian prophetess, whose graces sprung Out of the Muses' well: she sung before The bride into her chamber; at which door A matron and a torch-bearer did stand: A painted box of confits[105] in her hand The matron held, and so did other some[106]

That compa.s.sed round the honour'd nuptial room.

The custom was, that every maid did wear, During her maidenhead, a silken sphere 390 About her waist, above her inmost weed, Knit with Minerva's knot, and that was freed By the fair bridegroom on the marriage-night, With many ceremonies of delight: And yet eternized Hymen's tender bride, To suffer it dissolved so, sweetly cried.

The maids that heard, so loved and did adore her, They wished with all their hearts to suffer for her.

So had the matrons, that with confits stood About the chamber, such affectionate blood, 400 And so true feeling of her harmless pains, That every one a shower of confits rains; For which the bride-youths scrambling on the ground, In noise of that sweet hail her[107] cries were drown'd.

And thus blest Hymen joyed his gracious bride, And for his joy was after deified.

The saffron mirror by which Phoebus' love, Green Tellus, decks her, now he held above The cloudy mountains: and the n.o.ble maid, Sharp-visaged Adolesche, that was stray'd 410 Out of her way, in hasting with her news, Not till this[108] hour th' Athenian turrets views; And now brought home by guides, she heard by all, That her long kept occurrents would be stale, And how fair Hymen's honours did excel For those rare news which she came short to tell.

To hear her dear tongue robbed of such a joy, Made the well-spoken nymph take such a toy,[109]

That down she sunk: when lightning from above Shrunk her lean body, and, for mere free love, 420 Turn'd her into the pied-plum'd Psittacus, That now the Parrot is surnam'd by us, Who still with counterfeit confusion prates Naught but news common to the common'st mates.-- This told, strange Teras touch'd her lute, and sung This ditty, that the torchy evening sprung.

_Epithalamion Teratos._

Come, come, dear Night! Love's mart of kisses, Sweet close to his ambitious line, The fruitful summer of his blisses!

Love's glory doth in darkness s.h.i.+ne. 430 O come, soft rest of cares! come, Night!

Come, naked Virtue's only tire, The reaped harvest of the light, Bound up in sheaves of sacred fire!

Love calls to war; Sighs his alarms, Lips his swords are, The field his arms.

Come, Night, and lay thy velvet hand On glorious Day's outfacing face; 440 And all thy crowned flames command, For torches to our nuptial grace!

Love calls to war; Sighs his alarms, Lips his swords are, The field his arms.

No need have we of factious Day, To cast, in envy of thy peace, Her b.a.l.l.s of discord in thy way: Here Beauty's day doth never cease; 450 Day is abstracted here, And varied in a triple sphere.

Hero, Alcmane, Mya, so outs.h.i.+ne thee, Ere thou come here, let Thetis thrice refine thee.

Love calls to war; Sighs his alarms, Lips his swords are, The field his arms.

The evening star I see: Rise, youths! the evening star 460 Helps Love to summon war; Both now embracing be.

Rise, youths! Love's rite claims more than banquets; rise!

Now the bright marigolds, that deck the skies, Phoebus' celestial flowers, that, contrary To his flowers here, ope when he shuts his eye, And shuts when he doth open, crown your sports: Now Love in Night, and Night in Love exhorts Courts.h.i.+p and dances: all your parts employ, And suit Night's rich expansure with your joy. 470 Love paints his longings in sweet virgins' eyes: Rise, youths! Love's rite claims more than banquets; rise!

Rise, virgins! let fair nuptial loves enfold Your fruitless b.r.e.a.s.t.s: the maidenheads[110] ye hold Are not your own alone, but parted are; Part in disposing them your parents share, And that a third part is; so must ye save Your loves a third, and you your thirds must have.

Love paints his longings in sweet virgins' eyes: Rise, youths! Love's rite claims more than banquets; rise! 480

Herewith the amorous spirit, that was so kind To Teras' hair, and comb'd it down with wind, Still as it, comet-like, brake from her brain, Would needs have Teras gone, and did refrain To blow it down: which, staring[111] up, dismay'd The timorous feast; and she no longer stay'd; But, bowing to the bridegroom and the bride, Did, like a shooting exhalation, glide Out of their sights: the turning of her back Made them all shriek, it look'd so ghastly black. 490 O hapless Hero! that most hapless cloud Thy soon-succeeding tragedy foreshow'd.

Thus all the nuptial crew to joys depart; But much-wronged[112] Hero stood h.e.l.l's blackest dart: Whose wound because I grieve so to display, I use digressions thus t' increase the day.

FOOTNOTES:

[92] Some modern editors read ”sat.”

[93] Singer suggested ”Alcmaeon.”

[94] ”Chapman has a pa.s.sage very similar to this in his _Widow's Tears_, Act iv.:--

'Wine is ordained to raise such hearts as sink: Whom woful stars distemper let him drink.'”

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