Tales and Novels of J. de La Fontaine | Page 6

chaster round about;
Her very doll more

innocent won't prove,
Than this sweet nymph design'd with us to
move.
THE scheme our prince's approbation met;
The very girl, said he, I
wish'd to get;
This night be our attack; and if her heart
Surrenders
when our wishes we impart,
But one perplexity will then remain;

'Tis who her virgin favours shall obtain?
The honour 's all a whim,
and I, as king,
At once assuredly should claim this thing:
The rest
'tis very easy to arrange;
As matters suit we presently can change.
IF ceremony 'twere, Joconde replied,
All cavil then we quickly could
decide;
Precedence would no doubt with you remain:
But this is
quite another case 'tis plain;
And equity demands that we agree,
By
lot to settle which the man shall be.
THE noble youths no arguments would spare,
And each contended
for the spoiler's care;
Howe'er Joconde obtained the lucky hit,
And
first embrac'd this fancied dainty bit.
THE girl who was the noble rival's aim,
That ev'ning to the room for
something came;
Our heroes gave her instantly a chair,
And
lavished praises on her face and hair;
A diamond ring soon sparkled
in her eyes;
Its pleasing pow'rs at sight obtain'd the prize.
THE bargain made, she, in the dead of night,
When silence reign'd
and all was void of light,
With careful steps their anxious wish obey'd,

And 'tween them both, she presently was laid;
'Twas Paradise they
thought, where all is nice,
And our young spark believ'd he broke the
ice.
THE folly I forgive him;--'tis in vain
On this to reason--idle to
complain;
The WISE have oft been dup'd it is confest,
And
Solomon it seems among the rest.
But gay Joconde felt nothing of the
kind,
A secret pleasure glow'd within his mind;
He thought
Astolphus wond'rous bliss had missed,
And that himself alone the fair

had kiss'd;
A clod howe'er, who liv'd within the place,
Had, prior to
the Roman, her embrace.
THE soft amour extended through the night,
The girl was pleas'd, and
all proceeded right;
The foll'wing night, the next, 'twas still the same;
Young Clod at length her coldness 'gan to blame;
And as he felt
suspicious of the act,
He watch'd her steps and verified the fact:
A
quarrel instantly between them rose;
Howe'er the fair, his anger to
compose,
And favour not to lose, on honour vow'd,
That when the
sparks were gone, and time allow'd, She would oblige his craving,
fierce desire;--
To which the village lad replied with ire:--
Pray
what care I for any tavern guest,
Of either sex; to you I now protest,

If I be not indulg'd this very night,
I'll publish your amours in mere
despite.
HOW can we manage it, replied the belle,
I'm quite
distressed--indeed the truth to tell,
I've promis'd them this night to
come again,
And if I fail, no doubt can then remain,
But I shall lose
the ring, their pledg'd reward,
Which would, you know for me, be
very hard.
TO you I wish the ring, replied young Clod,
But do they sleep in bed,
or only nod?
Tell me, pray; oh, said she, they sleep most sound; But
then between them plac'd shall I be found,
And while the one amidst
Love's frolicks sports,
The other quiet lies, or Morpheus courts.
On
hearing this the rustick lad proposed,
To visit her when others' eyes
were closed.
Oh! never risk it, quickly she replied;
'Twere folly to
attempt it by their side.
He answer'd, never fear, but only leave
The
door ajar, and me they'll not perceive.
THE door she left exactly as he said;
The spark arriv'd, and then
approach'd the bed,
('Twas near the foot,) then 'tween the sheets he
slid, But God knows how he lay, or what he did.
Astolphus and
Joconde ne'er smelt a rat,
Nor ever dreamt of what their girl was at,


At length when each had turn'd and op'd his eyes, Continual movement
fill'd him with surprise.
The monarch softly said:--why how is this?

My friend has eaten something, for in bliss,
He revels on, and truly
much I fear,
His health will show, it may be bought too dear.
THIS very sentiment Joconde bethought;
But Clod a breathing
moment having caught,
Resum'd his fun, and that so oft would seek:

He gratified his wishes for a week;
Then watching carefully, he
found once more;
Our noble heroes had begun to snore,
On which
he slyly took himself away,
The road he came, and ere 'twas break of
day;
The girl soon follow'd, since she justly fear'd,
Still more
fatigues:--so off she quickly steer'd,
AT length when both the nobles were awake;
Astolphus said, my
friend you rest should take,
'Twere better till to-morrow keep in bed,

Since sleep, with such fatigues, of course has fled: You talk at
random, cried the Roman youth;
More rest I fancy you require in
truth;
You've led a pretty life throughout the night;
I? said the king;
why I was weary quite,
So long I waited; you no respite gave,
But
wholly seem'd our little nymph t' enslave;
At length to try if I from
rage could keep,
I turn'd my back once more, and went to sleep.
If
you had willingly the belle resign'd,
I was, my friend, to take a turn
inclin'd;
That had