Poetry Explorer

Classic and Contemporary Poetry

ON HERMOCRATIA by ANONYMOUS

First Line: HERMOCRATIA NAMED - SAVE ONLY ONE
Last Line: THY BOAST AGAINST LATONA SHAMED BY ME!
Subject(s): BIRTH; CHILD BIRTH;MIDWIFERY;
HERMOCRATIA named--save only one,
Twice fifteen births I bore, and buried none;
For neither Phoebus pierced my thriving joys,
Nor Dian--she my girls, or he my boys.
But Dian rather, when my daughters lay
In parturition, chased their pangs away.
And all my sons, by Phoebus' bounty, shared
A vigorous youth, by sickness unimpaired.
O Niobe! far less prolific! see
Thy boast against Latona shamed by me!



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