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Pindar and Anacreon/Anacreon/Ode 7

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4290573Pindar and Anacreon — Ode 7Thomas BourneAnacreon

ODE VII.—ON CUPID.[1]

Cupid once, with staff in hand,
(A slender hyacinthine wand,)
Slow walking with a tottering pace,
Defied me to the rapid race.
Away we flew o'er flood and fell,
O'er craggy rock and bushy dell,
Till hastening on with swiftest speed,
A serpent stung me; then indeed[2]
My heart forgot its wonted play;
I fainted—sunk—and died away.

The urchin laughed at my disgrace,
And while his pinions fann'd my face,
"My friend," he cried, "you clearly prove
That you are not a match for Love!"

  1. As commentators are by no means agreed either as to the text or meaning of this ode, I have given it the turn which I conceived most agreeable to the genius and style of the author. By a pleasing allegory, he seems to intimate, that under whatever disguise love may appear, his power is equally certain and resistless.
  2. It is observed by Madame Dacier that his being stung by a serpent was a punishment for his insensibility and presumption.