ANACREONTIC.
Τὸ δὲ χεὶλος, ούκ ἒτ οίδα
Τινι μοι τροπω ποιήσεις.
Maiden! first did Nature seek
Lilies for thy spotless cheek;
When with roses came she next
Half delighted, yet more vex’d,
For the lilies there, to see
Blushing at their purity!
Since her labor now was lost,
Roses to the wind she tost.
One, a bud of smiling June,
Falling on thy lips, as soon
Left its color, and in death
Willed its fragrance to thy breath!
Then two drops of crystalled dew
From the hyacinth’s deep hue,
Brought she for thine eyes of blue;
And lest they should miss the sun,
Bade thy soul to shine thereon.
Lilies, Nature gave thy face—
Say, thy heart do lilies grace?
St. Paul’s College. G. H. H.