| William Stanley Braithwaite, ed. The Book of Restoration Verse. 1910. | | | | The Dream | | By Aphra Behn (1640–1689) |
| | | THE GROVE was gloomy all around, | |
| Murmuring the stream did pass, | |
| Where fond Astraea laid her down | |
| Upon a bed of grass; | |
| I slept and saw a piteous sight, | 5 |
| Cupid a-weeping lay, | |
| Till both his little stars of light | |
| Had wept themselves away. | |
| Methought I asked him why he cried; | |
| My pity led me on,— | 10 |
| All sighing the sad boy replied, | |
| ‘Alas! I am undone! | |
| As I beneath yon myrtles lay, | |
| Down by Diana’s springs, | |
| Amyntas stole my bow away, | 15 |
| And pinioned both my wings.’ | |
| ‘Alas!’ I cried, ‘’twas then thy darts | |
| Wherewith he wounded me? | |
| Thou mighty deity of hearts, | |
| He stole his power from thee? | 20 |
| Revenge thee, if a god thou be, | |
| Upon the amorous swain, | |
| I’ll set thy wings at liberty, | |
| And thou shalt fly again; | |
| And, for this service on my part, | 25 |
| All I demand of thee, | |
| Is, wound Amyntas’ cruel heart, | |
| And make him die for me.’ | |
| His silken fetters I untied, | |
| And those gay wings displayed, | 30 |
| Which gently fanned, he mounting cried, | |
| ‘Farewell, fond easy maid!’ | |
| At this I blushed, and angry grew | |
| I should a god believe, | |
| And waking found my dream too true, | 35 |
| For I was still a slave. | | | | |
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