HE fprightly morn with early blushes spread,
Rears o'er the eastern hills her rofy head;
The storm fubfides, the breezes as they pass.
Sigh on their way along the pearly grass.
Sweet carol all the fongfters of the spray,
Calm and ferene comes on the gentle day,
Amidst attendant fair CULENA moves,
CULENA, fruit of INDULPH'S nuptial loves!
Too foon to fate the beauteous queen refign'd,
But left the image of herfelf behind.
To the calm main the lovely nymphs repair,
To breathe along the ftrand the morning air;:
They brush with eafy fteps the dewy grafs
Obferving beauteous nature as they pafs..
Th' imperial maid moves with superior grace,,
Awe mix'd with mildness fat upon her face;
High inbred virtue all her bofom warms,
In beauty rifes, and improves her charins..
Silent and flow fhe moves along the main,
Behind, her maids attend, a modest train!
ve her as the moves with native state,
er all their motions from her gait.
Thus thro' IDALIA'S balm-diftilling grove, Majestic moves the fmiling Queen of Love: Her hair flows down her fnowy neck behind,, Her purple mantle floats upon the wind; The Graces move along, a blooming train ! And borrow all the geftures of their queen. Thus fteal the lovely maids their tardy way Along the filent border of the sea. Slow-curling waves advance upon the main,, And often threat the fhore, and oft abstain. A woody mound, which rear'd aloft its head,, Threw trembling fhadows o'er a narrow mead :: From a black rock crystalline waters leap, Arch as they fall, and thro' the valley creep, Chide with the murm'ring pebbles as they pafs, Or hum their purling journey thro' the grass. Pleas'd with the feene the wand'ring virgins ftood; The main below, above the lofty wood. Their eyes they fate with the transporting scene, And, fitting, prefs the fair-enamel'd green; Enjoy with innocence the growing day,
And steal with harmless talk the time away.
Mean time fierce CORBRED, who preferr'd in vain
His fuit to AGNES, faireft of the train;
Who fled from TWEED to fhun his hated arms,,
Intrusting fair CULENA with her charms;
Saw the difdainful nymph remote from aid,.
And bent his luftful eyes upon the maid.
He rush'd with headlong ruffians from the wood,.
And feiz'd the fair: the virgins fhriek aloud.
For help, for help! the struggling virgin cries,
And as she shrieks, aloud the wood replies.
ALPIN alone, his men were fent before,
Stalk'd on his thoughtful way along the shore.-
The diftant plaint affail'd the Hero's ear,
He drew his fword and rush'd to fave the fair.
Before the chief the daftard CORBRED fled,
And to her brave preferver left the maid.
Proftrate on earth the lovely virgin lay,
Her rofes fade, and all her charms decay:
In humid rest her bending eye-lids close ;
With flow returns her bofom fell and rofe:
At length returning life her bofom warms,
Glows in her cheeks, and lights up all her charms,
Thus when invading clouds the moon affail,
The landskip fails, and fades the fhining vale;
But foon as CYNTHIA rushes on the fight,
Reviving fields are filver'd o'er with light.
Th' affrighted fair the gallant warrior leads To join, upon the fand, the flying maids. They croud their cautious fteps along the fea, Quake at each breath, and tremble on their way; Their tim'rous breafts unfettl'd from furprize, To ev'ry fide they dart their careful eyes.
Thus on the heathy wild the hunted deer Start at each blaft, together croud thro' fear Tremble and look about, before, behind,, Then stretch along, and leave the mountain-wind. The gallant youth prefents the refcu'd fair, Confirms their trembling breafts, removes their care; The gen'rous story from herself they hear, And drink his praises with a greedy ear; Steal on the youth their eyes as AGNES spoke,, And pour their flutt'ring fouls at ev'ry look.
But fair CULENA feels a keener dart,
It pierc'd her breast and funk into her heart;
She hears attentive, views, admires and loves,
Her eye o'er all the man with pleasure roves.
With painful joy fhe feels the flame increase,
Her pride denies it, but her eyes confefs:
She starts, and blushing turns her eye aside,
But love steps in, and feals a look from p:
Thus fair CULÉNA struggles up the stream,
And 'tempts in vain to quench the rifing flame.
At length, with blushing cheek and bending look,.
Th' imperial maid the warrior thus bespoke.
O gen'rous chief! for thus your deeds wou'd say,,
How fhall our gratitude thy Kindness pay?
INDULPH fhall hear, and INDULPH shall reward;.
Such gen'rous actions claim a king's regard.”
She faid: and thus the chief; "Imperial maid,
More than the debt thy approbation paid.
In this I did not frive with gallant men,
Or drive disorder'd fquadrons from the plain ;;
But frighted from his prey a fenfual slave,›
The gloomy fons of guilt are never brave.-
Whoe'er wou'd feize on a defenceless fair,
Wou'd fhun the fword and fly amain from war.?
He faid, and ftalk'd away with manly state,
Grandeur, with awe commix'd, inform'd his gait:
His pond'rous mail reflects the trembling day,
And all his armour rings along the way.
The royal maid obferves him as he flies,
In filence ftands, and from her bofom fighs,:
Slowly moves on before the filent fair,
And in the palace fhuts her fecret care.
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