Bliss Carman, et al., eds. The World’s Best Poetry.
Volume II. Love. 1904. | | | | III. Love’s Beginnings | | “I dreamt I saw great Venus” | | Bion of Smyrna (fl. c. 100 B.C.) |
| | From the Greek by Leigh Hunt
I DREAMT I saw great Venus by me stand, | |
| Leading a nodding infant by the hand; | |
| And that she said to me familiarly— | |
| “Take Love, and teach him how to play to me.” | |
| She vanished then. And I, poor fool, must turn | 5 |
| To teach the boy, as if he wished to learn. | |
| I taught him all the pastoral songs I knew | |
| And used to sing; and I informed him too, | |
| How Pan found out the pipe, Pallas the flute, | |
| Phœbus the lyre, and Mercury the lute. | 10 |
| But not a jot for all my words cared he, | |
| But lo! fell singing his love-songs to me; | |
| And told me of the loves of gods and men, | |
| And of his mother’s doings; and so then | |
| I forgot all I taught him for my part, | 15 |
| But what he taught me, I learnt all by heart. | | | | |
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