And sitting down she was long silent, the two women yet before her waking eyes.

Now this other clave very vehemently to her damsel, saying she was the mother that bare and nursed her, but the outland woman laid violent hands upon her and haled her far away nor went she altogether unwilling, for she that haled her said: “The Aegis-Bearer hath ordained thee to be mine.” Then leapt Europa in fear from the bed of her lying, and her heart went pit-a-pat for she had had a dream as it were a waking vision. Their guise was the guise of women, and the one had the look of an outland wife and the other was like to the dames of her own country.

‘Twas the third watch o’ the night when ‘tis nigh dawn and the Looser of Limbs is come down honey-sweet upon the eyelids for to hold our twin light in gentle bondage, ‘twas at that hour which is the outgoing time of the flock of true dreams, that whenas Phoenix’ daughter the maid Europa slept in her bower under the roof, she dreamt that two lands near and far strove with one another for the possession of her. Once upon a time Europa had of the Cyprian a delightful dream. It bears three pictures in inlaid metal – Io crossing the sea to Egypt in the shape of a heifer, Zeus restoring her there by a touch to human form, and the birth of the peacock from the blood of Argus slain. The earlier half of the poem contains a description of Europa’s flower-basket. Moschus tells in Epic verse how the virgin Europa, after dreaming of a struggle between the two continents for the possession of her, was carried off from among her companions by Zeus in the form of a bull, and borne across the sea from Tyre to Crete, there to become his bride. If he see him weeping, let him have a care lest he be deceived if laughing, let him still hale him along but if making to kiss him, let him flee him, for his kiss is an ill kiss and his lips poison and if he say ‘Here, take these things, you are welcome to all my armour,’ then let him not touch those mischievous gifts, for they are all dipped in fire. Let any that shall take him bind and bring him and never pity. And cruel though all this equipage be, he hath something crueler far, his torch ‘tis a little light, but can set the very Sun afire. And at his back is a little golden quiver, but in it lie the keen shafts with which he ofttimes woundeth e’en me. He hath a very little bow and upon it an arrow ‘tis but a small arrow but carries even to the sky. He’s winged like a bird and flies from one to another, women as well as men, and alights upon their hearts.

All naked his body, but well covered his mind. His hair is plenty, his forehead bold his baby hands tiny but can shoot a long way, aye, e’en across Acheron into the dominions of Death (Hades). He is a notable lad he shall be known among twenty: complexion not white but rather like to fire eyes keen and beamy of an ill disposition but fair spoken, for he means not what he says – ‘tis voice of honey, heart of gall forward, cozening, a ne’er-say-troth a wily brat makes cruel play. THE RUNAWAY LOVEĬypris has lost her boy Love, and cries him in the streets.Ĭypris one day made hue and cry after her son Love (Eros) and said: “Whosoever hath seen one Love loitering at the street-corners, know that he is my runaway, and any that shall bring me word of him shall have a reward and the reward shall be the kiss of Cypris and if he bring her runaway with him the kiss shall not be all. Of Love Ploughing THE POEMS OF MOSCHUS, TRANSLATED BY J.

Hue and cry into the flame