For that which I, with mind uplifted, now
View of that hallowed mind of thine, and see
Exalted far above all human show,
Hath made my mind a coward utterly;
I may but press my lips together, may
But raise my brows in wondering ecstasy.
LAUSO.
When thou dost go, thou fillest with dismay
All who their pleasure in thy presence sought;
Evil draws nigh, for thou dost go away.
THYRSIS.
In days gone by the rustic shepherds taught
Themselves thy wisdom, in that self-same hour
They gained new understanding, wiser thought.
But, ah! there came the inevitable hour,
When thou departedst, and we did remain,
We celebrate this memory of pain,
We who our love for thee in life have shown,
E'en as in death we mourn thee once again.
So to the sound of your confusèd moan,
New breath the while receiving ceaselessly,
Shepherds, your sad and mournful chant intone!
Even as is the bitter agony,
So be the welling tears, so be the sighs,
Wherewith the wind is swollen that hastens by.