Of her own country maidens' looks, Full, floating, dark-oh! he, who knows His heart is weak, of Heav'n should pray To guard him from such eyes as those!— With a voluptuous wildness flings Come hither, come hither-by night and by day, Here maidens are sighing, and fragrant their sigh It is this, it is this. Here sparkles the nectar that, hallow'd by love, * "The Indian syrinda or guitar."-Symes. "Delightful are the flowers of the Amra trees on the mountain-tops, while the murmuring bees pursue their voluptuous toil."-Song of Jayadeva. "The Nisan, or drops of spring rain, which they believe to produce pearls if they fall into shells."-Richardson. § For an account of the share which wine had in the fall of the angels, vide Mariti. And, bless'd with the odour our goblet gives forth, What spirit the sweets of his Eden would miss ? For oh! if there be an Elysium on earth, It is this, it is this. The Georgian's song was scarcely mute, When the same measure, sound for sound, Was caught up by another lute, And so divinely breath'd around, That all stood hush'd and wondering, And turn'd and look'd into the air, As if they thought to see the wing So powerfully on every soul That new, enchanted measure stole. While now a voice, sweet as the note Of the charm'd lute, was heard to float Along its chords, and so entwine Its sounds with theirs, that none knew whether The voice or lute was most divine, So wondrously they went together: There's a bliss beyond all that the minstrel has told, When two, that are link'd in one heavenly tie, With heart never changing and brow never cold, Love on through all ills, and love on till they die! One hour of a passion so sacred is worth Whole ages of heartless and wandering bliss; * The Angel of Music.-Vide note, p. 215. 'Twas not the air, 'twas not the words, At once a hundred voices said, Some minutes rapt, as in a trance, After the fairy sounds were o'er, Too inly touch'd for utterance, Now motion'd with his hand for more : Fly to the desert, fly with me; Our Arab tents are rude for thee, But oh! the choice what heart can doubt, Of tents with love, or thrones without? Our rocks are rough, but smiling there Our sands are bare, but down their slope The silvery-footed antelope As gracefully and gaily springs As o'er the marble courts of kings. Then come-thy Arab maid will be Oh! there are looks and tones that dart As if the very lips and eyes So came thy every glance and tone, Then fly with me,-if thou hast known Come, if the love thou hast for me But if for me thou dost forsake * The Hudhud, or Lapwing, is supposed to have the power of discovering water under ground. |