Parerga/Endymion

For works with similar titles, see Endymion.
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ENDYMION.

FROM THE SWEDISH OF STAGNELIUS.

Beautiful with radiant brow and dark-fringed slumber-folded eyes,In the Moonlight's liquid lustre beautiful Endymion lies.Softly sigh the breezes round him, while they fondly linger there,Gently stirring with their breath the clusters of his glossy hair.
Silently, with yearning eye, and cheeks with heavenly weeping wet,From the ether Dian gazes on the youth who slumbers yet.Now she yields. She leaves her chariot vacant on the dark-blue height,And the Goddess hovers downwards in a trembling flood of light.
'Neath her advent, deeper flashes over hill and valley play,Softly fall the myrtle's shadows thrown beneath the deepen'd ray.Brightly beams each starry splendour, sweetest flowers below have birth,While the Lovely One of Heaven seeks the Lovely One of Earth.
Beautiful Endymion slumbers. Those are not the dews of nightThat amid the raven darkness of his locks are gleaming bright;They are Dian's glistening tear-drops—burning tear-drops, such as LoveTeaches mortal eyes to shower, and wrings from those that gleam above.
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Still Endymion slumbers sweetly. Dian o'er him leans in bliss,While he sleeps his blooming lips are glowing with her heavenly kiss.Hush, ye sighing midnight breezes, whisper not to tree or stream!Let him slumber long and deeply, let him dream his heavenly dream.
Woe to beautiful Endymion, when at length he wakes from sleep.Oh the dreary void around him, which his burning soul must weep!Only in our dreams Olympus may upon the world descend.Only in our dreams immortal may with mortal spirits blend.
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