The
TEMPLE
of
LOVE
.
WHEN
lonely
Night
compos'd
the
drowsy
Mind
,
And
hush'd
the
Bosom
of
the
weary
Hind
,
Pleas'd
with
plain
Nature
and
with
simple
Life
,
I
read
the
Scenes
of
Shore's
deluded
Wife
,
Till
my
faint
Spirits
sought
the
silent
Bed
,
And
on
its
Pillow
drop'd
my
aking
Head
;
Then
Fancy
ever
to
her
Mira
kind
,
Prepar'd
her
Phantoms
for
the
roving
Mind
.
Behold
a
Fabrick
rising
from
the
Ground
,
To
the
soft
Timbrel
and
the
Cittern's
Sound
:
Corinthian
Pillars
the
vast
Building
hold
,
Of
polish'd
Silver
and
Peruvian
Gold
;
In
four
broad
Arches
spread
the
shining
Doors
,
The
blazing
Roofs
enlighten
all
the
Floors
:
Beneath
a
sparkling
Canopy
that
shone
With
Persian
Jewels
,
like
a
Morning
Sun
Wrap'd
in
a
Robe
of
purest
Tyrian
Dye
,
Cythera's
Image
met
the
ravish'd
Eye
,
Whose
glowing
Features
wou'd
in
Paint
beguile
:
So
well
the
Artist
drew
her
mimick
Smile
;
Her
shining
Eyes
confess'd
a
sprightly
Joy
;
Upon
her
Knees
reclin'd
her
wanton
Boy
;
On
the
bright
Walls
,
around
her
and
above
,
Were
drawn
the
Statutes
and
the
Arts
of
Love
:
These
taught
the
silent
Language
of
the
Eye
,
The
broken
Whisper
and
amusing
Lye
;
The
careless
Glance
peculiar
to
the
Fair
,
And
Vows
for
Lovers
,
that
dissolve
in
Air
;
The
graceful
Anger
,
and
the
rolling
Eyes
;
The
practis'd
Blush
and
counterfeit
Surprise
,
The
Language
proper
for
pretending
Swains
;
And
fine
Description
for
imagin'd
Pains
;
The
friendly
Caution
and
designing
Ease
,
And
all
the
Arts
that
ruin
while
they
please
.
Now
entred
,
follow'd
by
a
splendid
Train
,
A
blooming
Damsel
and
a
wealthy
Swain
;
The
gaudy
Youth
in
shining
Robes
array'd
,
Behind
him
follow'd
the
unthinking
Maid
:
Youth
in
her
Cheek
like
op'ning
Roses
sprung
,
Her
careless
Tresses
on
her
Shoulders
hung
.
Her
Smiles
were
chearful
as
enliv'ning
May
;
Her
Dress
was
careless
,
and
her
Eyes
were
gay
;
Then
to
soft
Voices
and
melodious
Sound
The
Board
was
spread
,
the
sparkling
Glasses
crown'd
:
The
sprightly
Virgin
in
a
Moment
shines
In
the
gay
Entrails
of
the
eastern
Mines
;
Then
Pride
comes
in
with
Patches
for
the
Fair
,
And
spicy
Odours
for
her
curling
Hair
:
Rude
Riot
in
a
crimson
Vest
array'd
,
With
smooth-fac'd
Flatt'ry
like
a
Chamber-maid
:
Soft
Pomp
and
Pleasure
at
her
Elbow
stand
,
And
Folly
shakes
the
Rattles
in
her
Hand
.
But
now
her
feeble
Structure
seem'd
to
shake
,
Its
Basis
trembl'd
and
its
Pillars
quake
;
Then
rush'd
Suspicion
through
the
lofty
Gate
,
With
heart-sick
Loathing
led
by
ghastly
Hate
;
And
foaming
Rage
,
to
close
the
horrid
Band
,
With
a
drawn
Poniard
in
her
shaking
Hand
,
Now
like
an
Earthquake
shook
the
reeling
Frame
,
The
Lamps
extinguish
in
a
purple
Flame
:
One
universal
Groan
was
heard
,
and
then
The
Cries
of
Women
and
the
Voice
of
Men
:
Some
roar
out
Vengeance
,
some
for
Mercy
call
;
And
Shrieks
and
Tumult
fill
the
dreadful
Hall
.
At
length
the
Spectres
vanish'd
from
my
Sight
,
Again
the
Lamps
resum'd
a
feeble
Light
;
But
chang'd
the
Place
:
No
Splendor
there
was
shown
,
But
gloomy
Walls
that
Mirth
had
never
known
;
For
the
gay
Dome
where
Pleasure
us'd
to
dwell
,
Appear'd
an
Abbey
and
a
doleful
Cell
;
And
here
the
sad
,
the
ruin'd
Nymph
was
found
,
Her
Robe
disorder'd
and
her
Locks
unbound
,
While
from
her
Eyes
the
pearly
Drops
of
Woe
,
Wash'd
her
pale
Cheek
where
Roses
us'd
to
blow
:
Her
blue
and
trembling
Lips
prepar'd
to
breathe
The
Sighs
that
made
her
swelling
Bosom
heave
;
Thus
stupid
with
her
Grief
she
sat
and
prest
Her
lily
Hands
across
her
pensive
Breast
;
A
Group
of
ghastly
Phantoms
stood
behind
,
Whose
Task
it
is
to
wreck
the
guilty
Mind
:
Wide-mouth'd
Reproach
with
Visage
rude
and
thin
,
And
hissing
Scandal
made
a
hideous
Din
;
Remorse
that
darted
from
her
deadly
Wings
,
Invenom'd
Arrows
and
a
thousand
Stings
:
Then
with
pale
Cheeks
and
with
a
ghastly
Stare
,
Peep'd
o'er
her
Shoulder
hollow-ey'd
Despair
;
Whose
Hand
extended
bore
a
bleeding
Heart
,
And
Death
behind
her
shook
his
threat'ning
Dart
:
These
Forms
with
Horror
fill'd
my
aking
Breast
,
And
from
my
Eye-lids
drove
the
Balm
of
Rest
:
I
woke
and
found
old
Night
her
Course
had
run
,
And
left
her
Empire
to
the
rising
Sun
.