[Page 49]

DAMON and DELIA.

In Imitation of Horace and Lydia. Written in the Year 1732.

DAMON.
1 TELL me, my Delia, tell me why
2 My kindest, fondest looks you fly:
3 What means this cloud upon your brow?
4 Have I offended? tell me how?
5 Some change has happen'd in your heart,
6 Some rival there has stol'n a part;
7 Reason these fears may disapprove:
8 But yet I fear, because I love.
DELIA.
9 First, tell me, Damon, why to-day
10 At Belvidera's feet you lay?
11 Why with such warmth her charms you prais'd,
12 And ev'ry trifling beauty rais'd,
13 As if you meant to let me see
14 Your flatt'ry is not All for me?
15 Alas! too well your sex I knew,
16 Nor was so weak to think you true.
[Page 50]
DAMON.
17 Unkind! my falsehood to upbraid,
18 When your own orders I obey'd;
19 You bid me try by this deceit
20 The notice of the world to cheat,
21 And hide beneath another name
22 The secret of our mutual flame.
DELIA.
23 Damon, your prudence I confess,
24 But let me wish it had been less;
25 Too well the lover's part you play'd,
26 With too much art your court you made;
27 Had it been only art, your eyes
28 Wou'd not have join'd in the disguise.
DAMON.
29 Ah, cease thus idly to molest
30 With groundless fears thy virgin breast.
31 While thus at fancy'd wrongs you grieve,
32 To me a real pain you give.
DELIA.
33 Tho' well I might your truth distrust,
34 My foolish heart believes you just;
35 Reason this faith may disapprove,
36 But I believe, because I love.

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About this text

Title (in Source Edition): DAMON and DELIA. In Imitation of Horace and Lydia. Written in the Year 1732.
Themes: sex; relations between the sexes; love
Genres: dialogue; imitation; translation; paraphrase
References: DMI 22313

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Source edition

Dodsley, Robert, 1703-1764. A Collection of Poems in Six Volumes. By Several Hands. Vol. II. London: printed by J. Hughs, for R. and J. Dodsley, 1763 [1st ed. 1758], pp. 49-50. 6v.: music; 8⁰. (ESTC T131163; OTA K104099.002) (Page images digitized by the Eighteenth-Century Poetry Archive from a copy in the archive's library.)

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The text has been typographically modernized, but without any silent modernization of spelling, capitalization, or punctuation. The source of the text is given and all editorial interventions have been recorded in textual notes. Based on the electronic text originally produced by the TCP project, this ECPA text has been edited to conform to the recommendations found in Level 5 of the Best Practices for TEI in Libraries version 4.0.0.