登陆注册
5371300000104

第104章

This apparition, removed but by a cord from one's pericranium, and indulging the most vehement leaps, apparently with the intention of alighting upon that cerebral region, would probably be regarded with some terror by a party in May Fair; but our Pompeian revellers seemed to behold the spectacle with delighted curiosity, and applauded in proportion as the dancer appeared with the most difficulty to miss falling upon the head of whatever guest he particularly selected to dance above. He paid the senator, indeed, the peculiar compliment of literally falling from the rope, and catching it again with his hand, just as the whole party imagined the skull of the Roman was as much fractured as ever that of the poet whom the eagle took for a tortoise. At length, to the great relief of at least Ione, who had not much accustomed herself to this entertainment, the dancer suddenly paused as a strain of music was heard from without. He danced again still more wildly;the air changed, the dancer paused again; no, it could not dissolve the charm which was supposed to possess him! He represented one who by a strange disorder is compelled to dance, and whom only a certain air of music can cure. At length the musician seemed to hit on the right tune; the dancer gave one leap, swung himself down from the rope, alighted on the floor, and vanished.

One art now yielded to another; and the musicians who were stationed without on the terrace struck up a soft and mellow air, to which were sung the following words, made almost indistinct by the barrier between and the exceeding lowness of the minstrelsy:-

FESTIVE MUSIC SHOULD BE LOW

I

Hark! through these flowers our music sends its greeting To your loved halls, where Psilas shuns the day;When the young god his Cretan nymph was meeting He taught Pan's rustic pipe this gliding lay:

Soft as the dews of wine Shed in this banquet hour, The rich libation of Sound's stream divine, O reverent harp, to Aphrodite pour!

II

Wild rings the trump o'er ranks to glory marching;Music's sublimer bursts for war are meet;

But sweet lips murmuring under wreaths o'er-arching, Find the low whispers like their own most sweet.

Steal, my lull'd music, steal Like womans's half-heard tone, So that whoe'er shall hear, shall think to feel In thee the voice of lips that love his own.

At the end of that song Ione's cheek blushed more deeply than before, and Glaucus had contrived, under cover of the table, to steal her hand.

'It is a pretty song,' said Fulvius, patronizingly.

'Ah! if you would oblige us!' murmured the wife of Pansa.

'Do you wish Fulvius to sing?' asked the king of the feast, who had just called on the assembly to drink the health of the Roman senator, a cup to each letter of his name.

'Can you ask?' said the matron, with a complimentary glance at the poet.

Sallust snapped his fingers, and whispering the slave who came to learn his orders, the latter disappeared, and returned in a few moments with a small harp in one hand, and a branch of myrtle in the other. The slave approached the poet, and with a low reverence presented to him the harp.

'Alas! I cannot play,' said the poet.

'Then you must sing to the myrtle. It is a Greek fashion: Diomed loves the Greeks--I love the Greeks--you love the Greeks--we all love the Greeks--and between you and me this is not the only thing we have stolen from them.

However, I introduce this custom--I, the king: sing, subject, sing!' The poet, with a bashful smile, took the myrtle in his hands, and after a short prelude sang as follows, in a pleasant and well-tuned voice:--

THE CORONATION OF THE LOVES

I

The merry Loves one holiday Were all at gambols madly; But Loves too long can seldom play Without behaving sadly.

They laugh'd, they toy'd, they romp'd about, And then for change they all fell out.

Fie, fie! how can they quarrel so?

My Lesbia--ah, for shame, love Methinks 'tis scarce an hour ago When we did just the same, love.

II

The Loves, 'tis thought, were free till then, They had no king or laws, dear;But gods, like men, should subject be, Say all the ancient saws, dear.

And so our crew resolved, for quiet, To choose a king to curb their riot.

A kiss: ah! what a grievous thing For both, methinks, 'twould be, child, If I should take some prudish king, And cease to be so free, child!

III

Among their toys a Casque they found, It was the helm of Ares;With horrent plumes the crest was crown'd, It frightened all the Lares.

So fine a king was never known--They placed the helmet on the throne.

My girl, since Valor wins the world, They chose a mighty master;But thy sweet flag of smiles unfurled Would win the world much faster!

IV

The Casque soon found the Loves too wild A troop for him to school them;For warriors know how one such child Has aye contrived to fool them.

They plagued him so, that in despair He took a wife the plague to share.

If kings themselves thus find the strife Of earth, unshared, severe, girl;Why just to halve the ills of life, Come, take your partner here, girl.

VWithin that room the Bird of Love The whole affair had eyed then;The monarch hail'd the royal dove, And placed her by his side then:

What mirth amidst the Loves was seen!

'Long live,' they cried, 'our King and Queen.'

Ah! Lesbia, would that thrones were mine, And crowns to deck that brow, love!

And yet I know that heart of thine For me is throne enow, love!

VI

The urchins hoped to tease the mate As they had teased the hero;But when the Dove in judgment sate They found her worse than Nero!

Each look a frown, each word a law;

The little subjects shook with awe.

同类推荐
  • 窥园留草

    窥园留草

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 临清寇略

    临清寇略

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 禅宗决疑集

    禅宗决疑集

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • THE WAR IN THE AIR

    THE WAR IN THE AIR

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 四部丛刊书目

    四部丛刊书目

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
热门推荐
  • 无限番外

    无限番外

    这是一本没有主题的书,就像永生之前的我!
  • 位面之君临万界

    位面之君临万界

    一组神秘数字,开启了苏子君降临万界,执掌诸天的崛起之路!
  • 妖灵笔录

    妖灵笔录

    那是剧毒,掩埋于骨髓深处,我不知如何才能解脱,只有一步步走向地狱。
  • 武上主宰

    武上主宰

    (PS:新书连载中,我的异能是雷霆,都市文,欢迎入坑。)吾有一眸,可掌造化;吾有一法,可定乾坤。修炼一途,启灵始,凝海生,灵漩至,天丹出;万象争锋,涅槃重生;圣灵显神威,化神掌教尊;神海显于世,只手镇乾坤。大道沉浮起,主宰万古真。
  • 魔门老祖会穿越

    魔门老祖会穿越

    穿越到仙侠世界,成为一方魔门老祖。徒弟弑师,圣僧为邻,这些王渊根本不在乎。因为,世界就要崩溃,穿越的大门已经再度打开。且看王渊如何在仙侠世界带领穿越的风潮!而修真者们又是如何拳打星舰,脚踩巫师,横行于诸天万界,在救亡图存的道路上越走越偏!“祭起飞剑,异界的资源就在前方!”“让我们驾起遁光,用法宝轰碎宇宙!”作者言:这是个文明发展转折点上,拓荒者们的故事。
  • 快穿之寻夫之旅

    快穿之寻夫之旅

    穿越层层位面,只是为了寻找那个让自己魂牵梦绕的夫君,不懂什么系统君的古人,看小小古代女子怎样在不同位面中找到属于自己夫君的灵魂碎片!
  • 爱的早,不如爱的刚刚好

    爱的早,不如爱的刚刚好

    曾经受到感情创伤而“死宅”在家两年多的岑亮和宋汶,在铁哥们朱学晔和好姐妹林芸芸的极力撮合下开始了各种欢乐、哭笑不得的“约会”。原本注定不会有什么交集的两个人却被各自的死党有意拉做一堆。在最初的抗拒排斥中,在一次次磕磕绊绊吵吵闹闹中,两个人,认命地沦陷了。从最初的不来电到爱得如胶似漆,时间刚好,爱情来对了!然而,两情相悦没那么简单!两个人的前任来袭,他们是否能紧握双手并肩而战?又是否能坚守到最后?我们只是要一辈子相爱,在一起!为什么就那么难!
  • 赛花铃

    赛花铃

    本书为公版书,为不受著作权法限制的作家、艺术家及其它人士发布的作品,供广大读者阅读交流。汇聚授权电子版权。
  • 各级人民代表大会和地方各级人民政府组织法

    各级人民代表大会和地方各级人民政府组织法

    为加强法制宣传,迅速普及法律知识,服务于我国民主法制建设,多年来,中国民主法制出版社根据全国人大常委会每年定期审议通过、修订的法律,全品种、大规模的出版了全国人民代表大会常务委员会公报版的系列法律单行本。该套法律单行本经过最高立法机关即全国人民代表大会常务委员会的权威审定,法条内容准确无误,文本格式规范合理,多年来受到了社会各界广泛关注与好评。
  • 芭比宝贝向前冲

    芭比宝贝向前冲

    高中新生尹小草,刚开学就上演惊天动的“迷路记”,遇到两大“超人气校草”,脾气超坏的“美少年”藤司明、总是微笑的“优雅王子”叶司亮。哇咧……还有天上掉下的小恶魔!一场网球比赛后,藤司明变成了她的两星期佣人!可是,很明显藤司明完全不知道自己仆人的身份,天天逼迫她上学接、放学送的……有没有搞错啊!这时,尹小草还发现,小恶魔并不是白白帮她赢取网球比赛的。小恶魔的接近全部都是为了拿回藤司明眼中的魔法书……