Her vest, with liveliest tincture glow'd, That Summer-blossoms wear, And wanton down her shoulders flow'd, Zephyr in play had loos'd the string," Her shape was like the slender pine, O heav'n! what rapture would be mine, Her cheeks-one rose had Strephon seen, At distance view'd her nymph-like mien, He thought Diana from the chace, Acteon's fatal change he fear'd, And trembled at the breeze; High antlers had his fancy rear'd, And quiv'ring sunk his knees. He well might err-that morn confess'd, Shone forth, and Sylvia thus address'd, "Let "Let us this day our robes exchange; "Bind on my waxing moon; "Then through yon woods at pleasure range, "And shun the sultry noon. "Like thine, my heav'nly grace. My brother Phoebus lost his heart "When first he view'd thy charms, "And would this day, with dang'rous art, "Allure thee to his arms. No. VII. Au FIRMAMENT. "Would I were yon blue field above, (Said Plato, warbling am'rous lays) "That with ten thousand eyes of love, "On thee for ever I might gaze." My purer love the wish disclaims, No. VIII. SONG. Wake, ye nightingales, oh, wake! Tell me not, that Winter drear Still delays your promis'd tale, That no blossoms yet appear, Save the snow-drop in the dale; Tell me not the woods are bare ;Vain excuse! prepare! prepare! View the hillocks, view the meads: Health, and Youth, and blooming May. Where she treads, fresh lilies grow. Hail! ye groves of Bagley, hail! Julia has pronounc'd you fair. Amongst the manuscript papers of Sir William Jones, written in Bengal, I find the delineation of the plan of a Tragedy on the story of SOHRAB, a Persian hero, who acts a short, but conspicuous part in the heroic poem of Ferdûsi, the Homer of Persia. The story in the original, is in substance as follows: RUSTUM, the hero of Oriental Romance, was married to Tahmina, the daughter of the king of Summungan, a city on the confines of Tartary. He left her in a state of pregnancy, giving her a bracelet, which, in the event of the birth of a child, she was to bind on its arm. She was delivered of a son. Tahmina, apprehensive that Rustum would deprive her of him, informed him, that she had a daughter, and Rustum entertained no suspicion of the deceit. Sohrab inherited the heroic spirit of his father, whom when he grew up he was most anxious to see, and when he had attained the age of puberty, he formed a plan for attacking KAOOS, the king of Persia, Persia, in the declared intention of depriving him of his crown, and placing it on the head of Rustum. AFRASIAB, the sovereign of Tartary, who was apprised of the parentage of Sohrab, eagerly seconded the views of the youth, as a long hereditary enmity had subsisted between the two monarchs of Persia and Tartary. He accordingly offered to furnish Sohrab with an army, sending with it, at the same time, two generals, on whom he relied, with secret instructions to prevent the discovery of Rustum by Sohrûb, and to endeavour to bring them to a single combat, hoping that the youthful vigour of Sohrab would overcome Rustum, and pave the way to the conquest of Persia. After the death of Rustum, he proposed to destroy Sohrab by treachery. This insidious scheme succeeded in part. Sohrab, with the Tartarian army invaded Persia, and was opposed by the Persian troops, whom he defeated in several engagements. The anxious endeavours of Sohrûb, to discover his father, were frustrated by the falsehood and treachery of the generals of Afrasiab, and the two heroes met in battle without knowing each other, although Sohrab suspected his antagonist to be Rustum, and even mentioned his suspicion to him, which Rustum denied. The two warriors engaged in single combat three times; on the second day, Sohrab had the advantage, and Rustum saved his life by artifice; on the third, the strength and skill of Rustum prevailed, and he seized the opportunity by plunging his dagger in the breast of his son, who, before he expired, discovered himself to his father, and was recognized by him. The distress of Sohrûb, the affliction of Rustum, increased to agony by the sight of the bracelet, which he had presented to Tahmina, on the arm of Sohrub, and afterwards exasperated to madness by the refusal of KAOos, to supply him with a remedy which he possessed of infallible efficacy, and the inconsolable anguish of Tahmina on learning the death of her son, are described by Ferdusi, |