Hero and Leander | Page 2

if another Phaeton had
got
The guidance of the sun's rich chariot.
But far above the
loveliest Hero shined
And stole away th' enchanted gazer's mind,

For like sea nymphs' enveigling Harmony,
So was her beauty to the
standers by.
Nor that night-wandering, pale, and wat'ry star
(When
yawning dragons draw her thirling car
From Latmus' mount up to the
gloomy sky
Where, crowned with blazing light and majesty,
She
proudly sits) more overrules the flood
Than she the hearts of those
that near her stood.
Even as, when gaudy nymphs pursue the chase,

Wretched Ixion's shaggy footed race,
Incensed with savage heat,
gallop amain
From steep pine-bearing mountains to the plain.
So
ran the people forth to gaze upon her,
And all that viewed her were
enamoured on her.
And as in fury of a dreadful fight,
Their fellows
being slain or put to flight,
Poor soldiers stand with fear of death dead
strooken,
So at her presence all surprised and tooken,
Await the
sentence of her scornful eyes.
He whom she favours lives, the other
dies.
There might you see one sigh, another rage;
And some, (their
violent passions to assuage)
Compile sharp satires, but alas too late,

For faithful love will never turn to hate.
And many seeing great
princes were denied
Pin'd as they went, and thinking on her died.

On this feast day, O cursed day and hour,
Went Hero thorough Sestos
from her tower
To Venus' temple, where unhappily
As after
chanced, they did each other spy.
So fair a church as this had Venus none.
The walls were of
discoloured jasper stone
Wherein was Proteus carved, and o'erhead

A lively vine of green sea agate spread,
Where by one hand
lightheaded Bacchus hung,
And, with the other, wine from grapes out
wrung.
Of crystal shining fair the pavement was.
The town of
Sestos called it Venus' glass.
There might you see the gods in sundry
shapes
Committing heady riots, incest, rapes.
For know, that
underneath this radiant floor
Was Danae's statue in a brazen tower,


Jove slyly stealing from his sister's bed,
To dally with Idalian
Ganymede,
And for his love Europa bellowing loud,
And tumbling
with the Rainbow in a cloud;
Blood quaffing Mars heaving the iron
net
Which limping Vulcan and his Cyclops set;
Love kindling fire
to burn such towns as Troy;
Sylvanus weeping for the lovely boy

That now is turned into a cypress tree,
Under whose shade the wood
gods love to be.
And in the midst a silver altar stood.
There Hero,
sacrificing turtle's blood,
Vailed to the ground, vailing her eyelids
close,
And modestly they opened as she rose.
Thence flew Love's
arrow with the golden head,
And thus Leander was enamoured.

Stone still he stood, and evermore he gazed
Till with the fire that
from his countenance blazed
Relenting Hero's gentle heart was strook.

Such force and virtue hath an amorous look.
It lies not in our power to love or hate,
For will in us is overruled by
fate.
When two are stripped, long ere the course begin
We wish that
one should lose, the other win.
And one especially do we affect
Of
two gold ingots like in each respect.
The reason no man knows; let it
suffice
What we behold is censured by our eyes.
Where both
deliberate, the love is slight:
Who ever loved, that loved not at first
sight?
He kneeled, but unto her devoutly prayed.
Chaste Hero to herself thus
softly said,
"Were I the saint he worships, I would hear him;"
And,
as she spake those words, came somewhat near him.
He started up,
she blushed as one ashamed,
Wherewith Leander much more was
inflamed.
He touched her hand; in touching it she trembled.
Love
deeply grounded, hardly is dissembled.
These lovers parleyed by the
touch of hands;
True love is mute, and oft amazed stands.
Thus
while dumb signs their yielding hearts entangled,

The air with sparks
of living fire was spangled,
And night, deep drenched in misty
Acheron,
Heaved up her head, and half the world upon
Breathed
darkness forth (dark night is Cupid's day).
And now begins Leander

to display
Love's holy fire, with words, with sighs, and tears,
Which
like sweet music entered Hero's ears,
And yet at every word she
turned aside,
And always cut him off as he replied.
At last, like to a
bold sharp sophister,
With cheerful hope thus he accosted her.
"Fair
creature, let me speak without offence.
I would my rude words had
the influence
To lead thy thoughts as thy fair looks do mine,
Then
shouldst thou be his prisoner, who is thine.
Be not unkind and fair;
misshapen stuff
Are of behaviour boisterous and rough.
O shun me
not, but hear me ere you go.
God knows I cannot force love as you do.

My words shall be as spotless as my youth,
Full of simplicity and
naked truth.
This sacrifice, (whose sweet perfume descending
From
Venus' altar, to your footsteps bending)
Doth testify that you exceed
her far,
To whom you offer, and whose nun you are.
Why should
you worship her? Her you surpass
As much as sparkling diamonds
flaring glass.
A diamond set in lead his worth retains;
A heavenly
nymph, beloved of human swains,
Receives no blemish, but ofttimes
more grace;
Which makes me hope, although I am but base:
Base in
respect of thee, divine and pure,
Dutiful service may thy love procure.

And I in duty will excel