Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine | Page 4

and ease;
The
streams' soft murmurs, and the balmy breeze,
Invite to sleep; these
vales where breathe the doves, All, all, my dear Joconde, renew our
loves;
You laugh!--Ah! cruel, go, expose thy charms,
Grim death
will quickly spare me these alarms!
JOCONDE'S reply our records ne'er relate,
Nor what he did, nor how
he left his mate;
And since contemp'raries decline the task;
'Twere
folly, such details of me to ask.
We're told, howe'er, when ready to
depart,
With flowing tears she press'd him to her heart;
And on his

arm a brilliant bracelet plac'd,
With hair around her picture nicely
trac'd;
This guard in full remembrance of my love,
She cried;--then
clasped her hands to pow'rs above.
TO see such dire distress, and poignant grief,
Might lead to think,
soon death would bring relief; But I, who know full well the female
mind,
At best oft doubt affliction of the kind.
JOCONDE set out at length; but that same morn;
As on he mov'd, his
soul with anguish torn,
He found the picture he had quite forgot,

Then turn'd his steed, and back began to trot.
While musing what
excuse to make his mate,
At home he soon arriv'd, and op'd the gate;

Alighted unobserv'd, ran up the stairs;
And ent'ring to the lady
unawares,
He found this darling rib, so full of charms;
Intwin'd
within a valet's brawny arms!
'MIDST first emotions of the husband's ire;
To stab them while
asleep he felt desire;
Howe'er, he nothing did; the courteous wight;

In this dilemma, clearly acted right;
The less of such misfortunes said
is best;
'Twere well the soul of feeling to divest;
Their lives,
through pity, or prudential care;
With much reluctance, he was led to
spare;
Asleep he left the pair, for if awake,
In honour, he a diff'rent
step would take.--
Had any smart gallant supplied my place,
Said he,
I might put up with this disgrace;
But naught consoles the thought of
such a beast;
Dan Cupid wantons, or is blind at least;
A bet, or
some such whim, induc'd the god,
To give his sanction to amours so
odd.
THIS perfidy Joconde so much dismay'd;
His spirits droop'd, his
lilies 'gan to fade;
No more he look'd the charmer he had been;
And
when the court's gay dames his face had seen; They cried, Is this the
beauty, we were told,
Would captivate each heart, or young or old?

Why, he's the jaundice; ev'ry view displays
The mien of one,--just
fasted forty days!

WITH secret pleasure, this, Astolphus learn'd;
The Roman, for his
brother, risks discern'd,
Whose secret griefs were carefully conceal'd,

(And these Joconde could never wish reveal'd;)
Yet, spite of
gloomy looks and hollow eyes,
His graceful features pierc'd the wan
disguise,
Which fail'd to please, alone through want of life, Destroy'd
by thinking on a guilty wife.
THE god of love, in pity to our swain,
At last revok'd BLACK
CARE'S corroding reign;
For, doubtless, in his views he oft was
cross'd,
While such a lover to the world was lost.
THE hero of our tale, at length, we find
Was well rewarded: LOVE
again proved kind;
For, musing as he walk'd alone one day,
And
pass'd a gall'ry, (held a secret way,)
A voice in plaintive accents
caught his ear,
And from the neighb'ring closet came, 'twas clear: My
dear Curtade, my only hope below,
In vain I love;--you colder, colder
grow;
While round no fair can boast so fine a face,
And numbers
wish they might supply thy place,
Whilst thou with some gay page
prefer'st a bet,
Or game of dice with some low, vulgar set,
To
meeting me alone; and when just now
To thee I sent, with rage thou
knit'st thy brow,
And Dorimene, with ev'ry curse abus'd
Then
played again, since better that amus'd,
And left me here, as if not
worth a thought,
Or thou didst scorn what I so fondly sought.
ASTONISHMENT, at once, our Roman seiz'd;
But who's the fair that
thus her bosom eas'd?
Or, who's the gay Adonis, form'd to bless?

You'd try a day, and not the secret guess,
The queen's the belle:--and,
doubtless you will stare, The king's own dwarf the idol of her care!
THE Roman saw a crevice in the wood,
Through which he took a
peep from where he stood; To Dorimene our lovers left the key,

Which she had dropt when lately forc'd to flee,
And this Joconde
pick'd up, a lucky hit,
Since he could use it when he best thought fit.

It seems, said he, I'm not alone in name,
And since a prince so

handsome is the same,
Although a valet has supplied my place,
Yet
see, the queen prefers a dwarf's embrace.
THIS thought consol'd so well,--his youthful rays Returned, and e'en
excelled his former days;
And those who lately ridicul'd his charms,

Now anxious seem'd to revel in his arms
'Twas who could have
him,--even prudes grew kind;-- By many belles Astolphus was resign'd;

Though still the king retain'd enough, 'twas seen;-- But now let us
resume the dwarf and queen.
OUR Roman, having satisfied his eyes,
At length withdrew,
confounded by surprise.
Who follows courts, must oft with care
conceal,
And scarcely know what sight and ears reveal.
YET, by Joconde the king was lov'd so well,
What now