Amores

Ovid

Ovid. Ovid's Art of Love (in three Books), the Remedy of Love, the Art of Beauty, the Court of Love, the History of Love, and Amours. Dryden, John, et al., translator. New York: Calvin Blanchard, 1855.

  1. And make at once her life and mine thy care:
  2. Have pity on her pains; the help you give
  3. To her, her lover saves, in her I live.
  4. From thee this favour she deserves; she pays
  5. Her vows to thee on all thy solemn days;
  6. And when the Galli at thy altars wait,
  7. She's present at the feast they celebrate.
  8. And thou, Lucina, who the labouring womb
  9. Dost with compassion view, to her assistance come:
  10. Nor dost thou, when to thee thy votaries pray
  11. For speedy help, thy wanted help delay.
  12. Lucina, listen to Corinna's pray'r;
  13. Thy votary she, and worthy of thy care.
  14. I'll with my off'rings to thy altar come,
  15. With votive myrrh thy sacred fane perfume;
  16. The vows I make that thou my fair mayst bless,
  17. In words inscrib'd, I'll on thy shrine express:-
  18. "Ovid, the servant of Corinna, pray'd
  19. The goddess here, the teeming dame to aid."
  20. Ah, goddess! of my humble suit allow;
  21. Give place to my inscription and my vow.
  22. If frighted as I am, I may presume
  23. Your conduct to direct in time to come,
  24. Corinna, since you've suffer'd thus before,
  25. Ah, try the bold experiment no more!
  1. What boots it that the fair are free from war,
  2. And what that they're forbid the shield to bear,
  3. Against themselves if they knew arms employ
  4. And madly with new wounds their lives destroy?
  5. The cruel mother who did first contrive
  6. Her babe to butcher ere 'twas scarce alive,
  7. Who thus from nature's tender dictates swerv'd,
  8. To perish by her proper hands deserv'd.
  9. Why do the sex forget their softness? why
  10. Such projects for a foolish fancy try?
  11. The belly must be smooth, no wrinkle there
  12. To shock the lover's wanton glance appear;
  13. His touch as well as sight they fain would please,
  14. And the womb early of its burden ease.
  15. Had woman sooner known this wicked trade,
  16. Among the race of men what havock had they made.
  17. Mankind had been extinct, and lost the seed,
  18. Without a wonder to restore the breed,
  19. As when Deucalion and his Purrha hurl'd
  20. The stones that sow'd with men the delug'd world,
  21. Had Thetis, goddess of the sea, refus'd
  22. To bear the burden, and her fruit abus'd,
  23. Who would have Priam's royal seat destroy'd?
  24. Or had the vestal whom fierce Mars enjoy'd,
  25. Stifled the twins within her pergnant womb,