ODE XXXII. STREW me a fragrant bed of leaves, Young Love shall my attendant be— We here have the poet, in his true attributes, reclining upon myrtles, with Cupid for his cup-bearer. Some interpreters have ruined the picture by making Epws the name of his slave. None but Love should fill the goblet of Anacreon. Sappho, in one of her fragments, has assigned this office to Venus. Ελθε, Κυπρι, χρυσειαισιν εν κυλικεσσιν ἁβροις συμμεμιγμένον θαλιαισι νεκταρ οινοχουσα τουτοισι τοις έταιροις εμοις γε και σοις. Which may be thus paraphrased: Hither, Venus, queen of kisses, 1 Drest for the task, with tunic round His snowy neck and shoulders bound, Oh, swift as wheels that kindling roll, Is all the trace 'twill leave behind. Can flowery breeze, or odour's breath, Goddess, hast thou e'er above Not a soul that is not thine! "Compare with this ode (says the German commentator) the beautiful poem in Ramler's Lyr. Blumenlese, lib. iv. p.296., Amor als Diener."" Now let the rose, with blush of fire, Upon my brow in sweets expire; And bring the nymph whose eye hath power To brighten even death's cold hour. Yes, Cupid! ere my shade retire, To join the blest elysian choir, With wine, and love, and social cheer, ODE XXXIII. 'Twas noon of night, when round the pole And mortals, wearied with the day, And wak'd me with a piteous prayer, "That bid'st my blissful visions fly?" M. Bernard, the author of L'Art d'aimer, has written a ballet called "Les Surprises de l'Amour," in which the subject of the third entrée is Anacreon, and the story of this ode suggests one of the scenes. - Euvres de Bernard, Anac. scene 4th. The German annotator refers us here to an imitation by Uz, lib. iii., "Amor und sein Bruder ;" and a poem of Kleist, "die Heilung." La Fontaine has translated, or rather imitated, this ode. "And who art thou," I waking cry, "That bid'st my blissful visions fly?"] Anacreon appears "Ah, gentle sire!" the infant said, "In pity take me to thy shed; I heard the baby's tale of woe; The dying embers' cheering blaze; to have been a voluptuary even in dreaming, by the lively regret which he expresses at being disturbed from his visionary enjoyments. See the odes x. and xxxvii. 'Twas Love! the little wandering sprite, &c.] See the beautiful description of Cupid, by Moschus, in his first idyl. |