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Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THEOCRITUS; FOR A. LANG'S TRANSLATION, by EDMUND WILLIAM GOSSE Poet's Biography First Line: The poplars and the ancient elms Last Line: The tomb of helice. Subject(s): Poetry & Poets; Theocritus (310-250 B.c.) | |||
THE poplars and the ancient elms Make murmurous noises high in air; The noonday sunlight overwhelms The brown cicalas basking there; But here the shade is deep, and sweet With new-mown grass and lentisk-shoots, And far away the shepherds meet With noisy fifes and flutes. Their clamour dies upon the ear; So now bring forth the rolls of song, Mouth the rich cadences, nor fear Your voice may do the poet wrong; Life up the chalice to our lips, -- Yet see, before we venture thus, A stream of red libation drips To great Theocritus. We are in Sicily to-day; And, as the honied metre flows, Battos and Corydon, at play, Will lose the syrinx, gain the rose; Soft Amaryllis, too, will bind Dark violets round her shining hair, And in the fountain laugh to find Her sun-browned face so fair. We are in Sicily to-day; Ah! foolish world, too sadly wise, Why didst thou e'er let fade away Those ancient, innocent ecstasies? Along the glens, in chequered flight, Hither to-day the nymphs shall flee, And Pan forsake for our delight The tomb of Helice. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...FOR A COPY OF THEOCRITUS by HENRY AUSTIN DOBSON BALLADE TO THEOCRITUS, IN WINTER by ANDREW LANG THEOCRITUS by CHARLES HARTLEY LANGHORNE TO THEOCRITUS by HELEN MURIEL MORRIS WILD COREOPSIS by CLINTON SCOLLARD ON A NIGHTINGALE IN APRIL by WILLIAM SHARP FEBRUARY IN ROME by EDMUND WILLIAM GOSSE IMPRESSION by EDMUND WILLIAM GOSSE LYING IN THE GRASS by EDMUND WILLIAM GOSSE |
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