Venus and Adonis strophes 46-55

BOL, Ferdinand Venus et Adonis vers 1658

Sometimes he scuds far off, and there he stares;

Anon he starts at stirring of a feather;

To bid the wind a base he now prepares,

And whe'r he run or fly they know not whether;

For through his mane and tail the high wind sings,

Fanning the hairs, who wave like feather'd wings.

He looks upon his love, and neighs unto her;

She answers him as if she knew his mind;

Being proud, as females are, to see him woo her,

She puts on outward strangeness, seems unkind,

Spurns at his love and scorns the heat he feels,

Beating his kind embracements with her heels.

Then, like a melancholy malcontent,

He vails his tail, that, like a falling plume,

Cool shadow to his melting buttock lent:

He stamps, and bites the poor flies in his fume.

His love, perceiving how he is enrag'd,

Grew kinder, and his fury was assuag'd.

His testy master goeth about to take him;

When lo! the unback'd breeder, full of fear,

Jealous of catching, swiftly doth forsake him,

With her the horse, and left Adonis there:

As they were mad, unto the wood they hie them,

Outstripping crows that strive to overfly them.

All swoln with chafing, down Adonis sits,

Banning his boisterous and unruly beast:

And now the happy season once more fits,

That love-sick Love by pleading may be blest;

For lovers say, the heart hath treble wrong

When it is barr'd the aidance of the tongue.

Parfois il file loin, là, avec surprise,

il regarde; puis une feuille bouge, il repart;

il se prépare à affronter la brise,

galop ou vol, on ne sait faire la part;

entre crinière et queue le vent est un chant,

ses poils flottent comme des plumes au vent.

Il hennit pour son amour qu’il contemple,

elle lui répond comme en sachant son âme;

fière, comme toute femme, qu’il la complimente,

elle est capricieuse, joue la méchante dame,

fait fi de son amour, dédaigne sa chamade,

repousse ses tendres étreintes d‘une talonnade.

Alors mélancolique car contrarié,

il baisse la queue qui, panache flottant,

apportait fraîcheur à sa croupe en suée:

il frappe du pied, mord les mouches, s‘emportant.

Son amour, devant une telle explosion,

se fait douce et passe son irritation.

Son maître irritable va pour l‘attraper;

alors la jument sauvage, apeurée,

craignant d’être prise, vite elle le fuit,

avec elle le cheval, abandonnant Adonis:

comme fous, ils vont vers le bois tous les deux,

dépassant les corbeaux qui volent sur eux.

Très irrité, il s’assied, Adonis,

il maudit sa bête libre et dissipée:

et voici que revient un temps propice,

pour que l’amour déçu soit exaucé;

le cœur a trois fois tort quand il est sans

aide de la parole, disent les amants.

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