Then Mars and Saturn, cruel stars, resume
Their hostile rage: Orion arm’d with clouds
The helm and sails of storm-tost seamen breaks.
To Neptune and to Juno and to us
Vext AEolus proves his power, and makes us feel
How parts the fair face angels long expect.
MACGREGOR.
SONNET XXXIV.
Ma poi che ’l dolce riso umile e piano.
HER RETURN GLADDENS THE EARTH AND CALMS THE SKY.
But when her sweet
smile, modest and benign,
No longer hides from us its
beauties rare,
At the spent forge his stout
and sinewy arms
Plieth that old Sicilian smith
in vain,
For from the hands of Jove
his bolts are taken
Temper’d in AEtna to
extremest proof;
And his cold sister by degrees
grows calm
And genial in Apollo’s
kindling beams.
Moves from the rosy west a
summer breath,
Which safe and easy wafts
the seaward bark,
And wakes the sweet flowers
in each grassy mead.
Malignant stars on every side
depart,
Dispersed before that bright
enchanting face,
For which already many tears
are shed.
MACGREGOR.
SONNET XXXV.
Il figliuol di Latona avea gia nove.
THE GRIEF OF PHOEBUS AT THE LOSS OF HIS LOVE.
Nine times already
had Latona’s son
Look’d from the highest
balcony of heaven
For her, who whilom waked
his sighs in vain,
And sighs as vain now wakes
in other breasts;
Then seeking wearily, nor
knowing where
She dwelt, or far or near,
and why delay’d,
He show’d himself to
us as one, insane
For grief, who cannot find
some loved lost thing:
And thus, for clouds of sorrow
held aloof,
Saw not the fair face turn,
which, if I live,
In many a page shall praised
and honour’d be,
The misery of her loss so
changed her mien
That her bright eyes were
dimm’d, for once, with tears,
Thereon its former gloom the
air resumed.
MACGREGOR.
SONNET XXXVI.
Quel che ’n Tessaglia ebbe le man si pronte.
SOME HAVE WEPT FOR THEIR WORST ENEMIES, BUT LAURA DEIGNS HIM NOT A SINGLE TEAR.
He who for empire
at Pharsalia threw,
Reddening its beauteous plain
with civil gore,
As Pompey’s corse his
conquering soldiers bore,
Wept when the well-known features
met his view:
The shepherd youth, who fierce
Goliath slew,
Had long rebellious children
to deplore,
And bent, in generous grief,
the brave Saul o’er
His shame and fall when proud
Gilboa knew:
But you, whose cheek with
pity never paled,
Who still have shields at
hand to guard you well
Against Love’s bow,
which shoots its darts in vain,
Behold me by a thousand deaths
assail’d,
And yet no tears of thine
compassion tell,
But in those bright eyes anger
and disdain.