4th Dryad: She weeps—
2d Dryad: Fool fingered thing!—
Ceres Forbear.
Whiles o'er the crisp Ionian main
I shook the winnowed dragon rein,
A Triton clove the wake behind,
And, with a hailing will, did wind
Such parley through his crankled horn,
As all the air was echo torn.
I stayed—he told what did betide
Of truant Theseus and his bride;
Which having heard, I did repair
Unto that subterranean lair
Wherein the dreadful Sisters three
Vex out the threads of destiny,
But they were sorely overtasked;
So techy, too, that when I asked
If he could not be plagued for this
Unloving piece of business,
With knots and burs upon his thread,
They would not speak, nor lift the head:
Yet saw I how his flax did run
Smoothly, and much is yet unspun.
4th Dryad: Sweet Queen, adieu—come, let's away,
We keep no sunshine holiday.
Ceres Stay, children, stay.
Poor things! I do remember me,
How I did seek Proserpiné.
We must not leave her thus forlorn:
Auroral grace in her is born,
And, rarer else, the finest sense
Of feeling and intelligence.
Mortals of such ethereal grain
Are quickened both for joy and pain;
Theirs is the affluence of joy,
And pain that sorely doth annoy.
And, therefore, if we leave her thus,
To find the truth of Theseus,
She will, with such a madness burn,
And do herself so sad a turn,
As that the very thought erewhile,
Will drive us all to quit the isle.
1st Dryad: Alack! O no! What must be done?
Ceres Go, you, and you, and every one—
To stay such heart distracting harm,
Go, each bring flowers upon her arm:
Pink, pansy, poppy, pimpernell,
Acanthus, almond, asphodel.
[The Dryads disperse and gather flowers with which they return
to Ceres.]
Ceres Now all join hands; [They join hands.]
Fair fall the eyes
Of any weary destinies!
I bruise these flowers, and so set free
Their virtue for adversity.
Then, with my unguent finger tips,
Touch twice and once on cheeks and lips.
When this sweet influence comes to naught,
Vexed she shall be, but not distraught.
And now let music winnow thought:
Bucolic sound of horn and flute,
In distant echo nearly mute.
Then louder borne, and swelling near,
Make bolder murmur in her ear.
2d Dryad: See, see, what change is in her face: