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The Tales and Novels of J. De La Fontaine (2)
The Tales and Novels of J De La Fontaine - 2 Author:Jean de La Fontaine Volume: 2 General Books publication date: 2009 Original publication date: 1903 Original Publisher: Privately printed for members of the Aldus Society Subjects: Fiction / General Fiction / Literary Literary Collections / General Literary Criticism / European / French Poetry / Continental European Notes: This is a black and white ... more »OCR reprint of the original. It has no illustrations and there may be typos or missing text. When you buy the General Books edition of this book you get free trial access to Million-Books.com where you can select from more than a million books for free. Excerpt: THE AMOROUS COURTESAN DAN CUPID, though the god of soft amour, In ev'ry age works miracles a store; Can Catos change to male coquets at ease; And fools make oracles whene'er he please; Turn wolves to sheep, and ev'ry thing so well, That naught remains the former shape to tell. Remember, Hercules, with wond'rous pow'r, And Polyphemus, who would men devour. The one upon a rock himself would fling, And to the winds his am'rous ditties sing; To cut his beard a nymph could him inspire; And, in the water, he'd his face admire. His club the other to a spindle changed, To please the belle with whom he often ranged: A hundred instances the fact attest, But sage Boccace has one, it is confessed, Which seems to me, howe'er we search around, To be a sample, rarely to be found. 'Tis Chimon that I mean, a savage youth, Well formed in person, but the rest uncouth, A bear in mind, but Cupid much can do, Love licked the cub, and decent soon he grew. A fine gallant at length the lad appeared; From whence the change ? -- Fine eyes his bosom cheered The piercing rays no sooner reached his sight, But all the savage took at once to flight; He felt the tender flame; -- polite became; You'll find howe'er, our tale is not the same. I Mean to state how once an easy fair, Who oft amused the youth devoid of care, A tender flame within her heart retained, Thoug...« less