The pleasant sound reached the goddess’ ears; aroused by the noise she sat up and with her fair hands rubbed from her eyes the residue of sleep; then, just as she was, her hair disordered, her breasts uncovered, she leapt from her soft couch and summoned Hymen from among the unnumbered Loves that formed her bodyguard. (Him, son of the Muse, Cytherea chose out and made the patron god of marriage. Without his sanction is no entry into wedlock nor is it lawful but with his leave to uplift the first wedding-torches.) At last he is found. There he lay stretched beneath a tall plane-tree joining with wax pipes of unequal length, seeking to repeat with his lips Maenalian measures and pastoral tunes, while, as his mouth ran over them, he varied his breathing upon the slender reed. Seeing Venus he stopped; noiseless to the ground from out the nerveless grasp of his fingers fell the * * * * * Page 208 dulce micant oculi; niveas infecerat igni solque pudorque genas; dubiam lanuginis umbram caesaries intonsa tegit. prior ipsa silentem compellat: “Numquamne, puer, dilecta relinques carmina? maternis numquam satiabere donis 45 dedite Musarum studio nimiumque parentis aemule? quid medio tecum modularis in aestu? iamne tibi sordent citharae? iam lustra Lycaei atque pecus cordi redituraque rupibus Echo? huc ades et tantae nobis edissere causas 50 laetitiae, cui pompa toro tam clara resultet, quae nova dotetur virgo: patriamque genusque pande, quibus terris orti, quo semine ducti. haud ignarus enim, nec te conubia fallunt ulla; tuo primae libantur[81] foedere noctes.” 55 Ille refert: “equidem dudum te, diva, morantem mirabar, quod adhuc tanti secura maneres coniugii. non parva tibi mandatur origo. fascibus insignes et legum culmine fultae convenere domus et qui lectissimus orbi 60 sanguis erat. rubris quae fluctibus insula latrat, qui locus Aethiopum, quae sic impervia famae secessit regio, quo non rumore secundo Palladii penetravit amor mentisque benigna temperies doctique sales et grata senectus? 65 [81] Birt _librantur_ (MSS.); Delphin ed. _libantur_. * * * * * Page 209