Swift at the word, obedient to the king, The herald flies the tuneful lyre to bring. Up rose nine seniors, chosen to survey The future games, the judges of the day With instant care they mark a spacious round And level for the dance the allotted ground: The herald bears the lyre: intent to play, The bard advancing meditates the lay. Skill’d in the dance, tall youths, a blooming band, Graceful before the heavenly minstrel stand: Light bounding from the earth, at once they rise, Their feet half-viewless quiver in the skies: Ulysses gazed, astonish’d to survey The glancing splendours as their sandals play. Meantime the bard, alternate to the strings, The loves of Mars and Cytherea sings: How the stern god, enamour’d with her charms Clasp’d the gay panting goddess in his arms, By bribes seduced; and how the sun, whose eye Views the broad heavens, disclosed the lawless joy. Stung to the soul, indignant through the skies To his black forge vindictive Vulcan flies: Arrived, his sinewy arms incessant place The eternal anvil on the massy base. A wondrous net he labours, to betray The wanton lovers, as entwined they lay, Indissolubly strong; Then instant bears To his immortal dome the finish’d snares: Above, below, around, with art dispread, The sure inclosure folds the genial bed: Whose texture even the search of gods deceives, Thin as the filmy threads the spider weaves, Then, as withdrawing from the starry bowers, He feigns a journey to the Lemnian shores, His favourite isle: observant Mars descries His wish’d recess, and to the goddess flies; He glows, he burns, the fair-hair’d queen of love Descends, smooth gliding from the courts of Jove, Gay blooming in full charms: her hand he press’d With eager joy, and with a sigh address’d: “Come, my beloved! and taste the soft delights: Come, to repose the genial bed invites: Thy absent spouse, neglectful of thy charms, Prefers his barbarous Sintians to thy arms!” Then, nothing loth, the enamour’d fair he led, And sunk transported on the conscious bed. Down rush’d the toils, inwrapping as they lay The careless lovers in their wanton play: In vain they strive; the entangling snares deny (Inextricably firm) the power to fly. Warn’d by the god who sheds the golden day, Stern Vulcan homeward treads the starry way: Arrived, he sees, he grieves, with rage he burns: Full horribly he roars, his voice all heaven returns.