Sweet Echo, sweetest nymph, that liv'st unseen
Within thy airy shell,
Canst thou not tell me of a gentle pair
That likest thy Narcissus are?
O if thou have
Hid them in some flowery cave,
Tell me but where,
Sweet Queen of Parley, Daughter of the Sphere!
Comus (to himself). What sweet song is this? Can any mortal sing with such charm and beauty? Such sacred and home-felt delight I never heard till now. I'll speak to her, and she shall be my queen.
Comus (dressed as a shepherd). Hail, fair goddess! for you must be more than mortal, to sing such sweet and wondrous strain.
Lady Alice. Nay, gentle shepherd. I sang not as loving my own voice, and praise is lost that falls on unattending ears. Stern necessity compelled my song.
Comus. How comes it, Lady, that you are thus alone?
Lady Alice. My brothers left me upon a grassy turf. Darkness came upon the grove, and I fear they are lost.
Comus. Were they men full grown or still young?
Lady Alice. Young and fair my brothers are.
Comus. Two such I saw, so lovely in their youthful grace I thought I looked upon some fairy scene. If these are the lads you seek, we can easily find them.