y beauteous charms which make a goddess sue,
"Indulge my flame; accept th' all-seeing sun,
"My sire, for thine; nor, rigidly austere,
"Titanian Circe spurn.--She ceas'd; he stern
"Repuls'd the goddess, and her praying suit;
"Exclaiming,--be thou whom thou may'st, yet thine
"I am not; captive me another holds;
"And fervently, I pray, to lengthen'd years
"She still may hold me. Never will I wrong
"The nuptial bond with stranger's lawless love,
"While Janus' daughter, my lov'd Canens lives.--
"Sol's daughter then (re-iterated prayers
"In vain oft try'd) exclaim'd:--Nor shalt thou boast
"Impunity; nor e'er returning see
"Thy Canens; but learn well what may be done
"By slighted, loving woman: Circe loves,
"Is woman, and is slighted.--To the west
"She turn'd her twice, and turn'd her twice to east;
"Thrice with her wand she struck the youth, and thrice
"Her charm-fraught song repeated. Swift he fled,
"And wondering that more swift he ran than wont,
"Plumes on his limbs beheld. Constrain'd to add
"A new-form'd 'habitant to Latium's groves,
"Angry he wounds the spreading boughs, and digs
"The stubborn oak-tree with his rigid beak.
"A purple tinge his feathers take, the hue
"His garment shew'd; the gold, a buckle once,
"Which clasp'd his robe, to feathers too is chang'd;
"The shining gold circles his neck around:
"Nor aught remains of Picus save the name.

"Meantime his comrades vainly Picus call,
"Through all the groves; but Picus no where find.
"Circe they meet, for now the air was clear'd,
"The clouds dispers'd, or by the winds or sun;
"Charge her with crimes committed, and demand
"Their king; force threaten, and prepare to lift
"Their savage spears. The goddess sprinkles round
"Her noxious poisons and envenom'd juice;
"Invokes old night, and the nocturnal gods,
"Chaos, and Erebus; and Hecat's help,
"With magic howlings, prays. Woods (wond'rous sight!)
"Leap from their seats; earth groans; the neighbouring trees
"Grow pale; the grass with sprinkled blood is wet;
"Stones hoarsely seem to roar, and dogs to howl;
"Earth with black serpents swarms; unmatter'd forms
"Of bodies long defunct, flit through the air.
"Tremble the crowd, struck with th' appalling scene:
"Appall'd, and trembling, on their heads she strikes
"Th' envenom'd rod. From the rod's potent touch,
"For men a various crowd of furious beasts
"Appear'd: