Lull'd to repose by its reviving aid,

No hunger howls beneath the friendly shade;
There, from the foreft's depth each takes his way,
In reft to fink the labours of the day,

Its leaves their fhelter o'er the whole extend,
From funs protect them, and from dews defend,
Rever'd by all, to all, affiftance yields,
And fhines the glory of the defart wilds.

'A'

LEXIS, the pride of the plain. Befide a clear brook lay reclin'd, His complaint was fair Daphne's disdain, Who had prov'd to the fhepherd unkind. His flock was no longer his care,

His pipe now no longer could please, He neglected his dress and his hair, And by folitude fed his disease,

II.

Poor fhepherd! he wildly exclaim'd,
Alas! what avails all thy moan?
The joys thy fond fancy had fram'd,
With Daphne for ever are flown!

How

How could you, Oh! Daphne, deceive,

A fwain not unworthy your love?
Why didft thou, Alexis, believe,

Such a maid could thy paffion approve?
III.

Her form is replete with each grace,
The diamond beams farth in her eye,
The lily expands o'er her face,

And the rofe-bud imparts its foft dye,
No warbler can rival her fong,

Philomela with envy complains,

The ftreams glide in filence along,

The glad Zephyrs diffuse her foft ftrains.

IV.

When Daphne appear'd in the mead,
Her prefence enliven'd the morn,

Now the winds roughly blow round my head,
And the fun's cheerful beams are withdrawn.
No longer these meadows look green,

Now the warblers abandon the grove,

The air breathes no longer ferene,
All fummer is fled with my love!

V.

Oh! Daphne, you heard my fond fighs,
You did not my paffion disdain,
When I gaz'd with delight on your eyes,
My foft glances you did not restrain !
But now you make sport of my woes,
And laugh at the fufferings I feel,

I enjoy not the sweets of repose,
Nor can I my torments conceal!
VI.

Farewell ye fad fcenes of my love,
I fhall never revifit you more!
Adieu to the mead and the grove,

'Twas here I firft learn'd to adore!

F

I will banish this wretch from her fight,
I know not what fate may enfue,
Never more can I tafte of delight,
To ev'ry enjoyment adieu!

With a torrent of heart-burfting grief,
Alexis continues his moan,

Tears gave him fome little relief,

Yet he ceas'd not to figh and to groan, Paftora, by chance hasten'd by,

She faw the poor fhepherd's defpair, Soft pity appear'd in her eye,

She afk'd him the fource of his care.

II.

What cause has Alexis to weep?
With looks of compaffion, the faid.
Have you loft e'er a lamb or a fheep?
Or, is Tray the poor favourite dead?
Or, perhaps your fair Daphne's unkind,
Perhaps for her coynefs you grieve,
Ah! 'tis jealoufy poifons your mind!
But appearances often deceive.

III.

The fhepherd just rais'd up his head,
He thank'd the kind maid for her care,
He confefs'd that all comfort was fled,
And nothing was left but despair.
Paftora ev'n wept at the tale,

And wish'd she could eafe his distress, Could her Int'reft with Daphne prevail, His fuff'ring fhould foon find redress.

. IV.

He gaz'd on the fair with furprize,

And admir'd the good-nature fhe fhew'd;
When she went he withdrew not his eyes,

But with pleasure her footsteps pursu’d.
Her sweetness, her beauty, and truth,
With Daphne's late falfehood compar❜d,
So charm'd, so astonish'd the youth,
That his heart for a change was prepar❜d.

V.

Yet ftill his fond wish would arise,
Ah! was but my Daphne thus kind!
I would wipe off these tears from my eyes,
And give up my fighs to the wind!
He faid, and arofe from the ground,
Then inftant return'd to his cot,
Soon in fleep ev'ry fuff'ring was drown'd,
And Daphne's unkindness forgot.

VI.

With the fun the next morn he arose,
Paftora he fought in the grove,
He repeated the tale of his woes,

And mourn'd the fad fate of his love!

Paftora heard ev'ry complaint;

Again he imparted his grief,

He talk'd without fear or conftraint,

And found from her converse, relief.

VII.

The friendship he felt for the fair,

Each meeting ftill ferv'd to improve; He then bleft his late caufe of defpair, And became a true votary to love. 'Twas no longer for beauty he figh'd, He no longer to merit was blind, 'Twas his joy, and a laudable pride,

That he valued the charms of the mind.

VIII.

VIII.

Paftora, with blushes confeft

That he felt all the force of true love, But that reafon her paffion fuppreft,

Yet that now the muft own and approve. She foon gave her hand to the fwain,

Who proclaim'd to each fhepherd this truth, He had met a reward for his pain,

More lafting than beauty and youth. ix..

When fpring decks with verdure the mead,
Love wafts milder fragrance around;
When fummer invites to the fhade,

Love ftrews with fresh flow'rets the ground.
In autumn thro' corn-fields they rove,
And their loves as in fpring-time appear,
Tho' winter difrobes the known grove,
Yet their love varies not with the year.

X.

Ye nymphs to this maxim attend,
Tho' beauty a while may allure,
Yet, to fix in the lover, the friend;
'Tis virtue alone is fecure!

Ye fwains, who are caught by a face,
Know, that beauty will quickly decay,
That virtue ftill heightens each grace,
And imparts, more than time fteals away!

SONG.