Thou, Bacchus, god of joys and friendly cheer, And gracious Juno, both be present here!
And you, my lords of Tyre, your vows address To Heav'n with mine, to ratify the peace."The goblet then she took, with nectar crown'd (Sprinkling the first libations on the ground,)And rais'd it to her mouth with sober grace;Then, sipping, offer'd to the next in place.
'T was Bitias whom she call'd, a thirsty soul;He took challenge, and embrac'd the bowl, With pleasure swill'd the gold, nor ceas'd to draw, Till he the bottom of the brimmer saw.
The goblet goes around: Iopas brought His golden lyre, and sung what ancient Atlas taught:
The various labors of the wand'ring moon, And whence proceed th' eclipses of the sun;Th' original of men and beasts; and whence The rains arise, and fires their warmth dispense, And fix'd and erring stars dispose their influence;What shakes the solid earth; what cause delays The summer nights and shortens winter days.
With peals of shouts the Tyrians praise the song:
Those peals are echo'd by the Trojan throng.
Th' unhappy queen with talk prolong'd the night, And drank large draughts of love with vast delight;Of Priam much enquir'd, of Hector more;
Then ask'd what arms the swarthy Memnon wore, What troops he landed on the Trojan shore;The steeds of Diomede varied the discourse, And fierce Achilles, with his matchless force;At length, as fate and her ill stars requir'd, To hear the series of the war desir'd.
"Relate at large, my godlike guest," she said, "The Grecian stratagems, the town betray'd:
The fatal issue of so long a war, Your flight, your wand'rings, and your woes, declare;For, since on ev'ry sea, on ev'ry coast, Your men have been distress'd, your navy toss'd, Sev'n times the sun has either tropic view'd, The winter banish'd, and the spring renew'd."