Page:Elegiac Sonnets 1.pdf/99

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Then Venus speaks; the wavering flames retire,
And Zephyr's breath extinguishes the fire.
At length the goddess in the helmet's round
A sweet and subtile spirit duly found,
More soft than oil, than æther more refined,
Of power to cure the woes of womankind,
And call'd it Flattery!——balm of female life,
It charms alike the widow, maid, and wife;
Clears the sad brow of virgins in despair,
And smooths the cruel traces left by care;
Bids palsied age with youthful spirit glow,
And hangs May's garlands on December's snow.
Delicious essence! howsoe'er applied,
By what rude nature is thy charm deny'd?
Some form seducing still thy whisper wears,}
Stern Wisdom turns to thee her willing ears,}
And Prudery listens and forgets her fears. }
The rustic nymph whom rigid aunts restrain,
Condemn'd to dress, and practise airs in vain,