T. R. Smith, comp. Poetica Erotica: Rare and Curious Amatory Verse. 1921–22.
Kiss V
By Joannes Secundus (15111536)(From Kisses; translated by John Nott, 1775) |
WHILE tenderly around me cast | |
Your arms, Neaera, hold me fast; | |
And hanging o’er, to view confest, | |
Your neck, and gently-heaving breast; | |
Down on my shoulders soft decline | 5 |
Your beauties more than half divine; | |
With wand’ring looks that o’er me rove, | |
And fire the melting soul with love: | |
While you, Neaera, fondly join | |
Your little pouting lips with mine; | 10 |
And frolic bite your am’rous swain, | |
Complaining soft if bit again; | |
And sweetly-murm’ring pour along | |
The trembling accents of your tongue, | |
Your tongue, now here now there that strays, | 15 |
Now here now there delighted plays; | |
That now my humid kisses sips, | |
Now wanton darts between my lips; | |
And on my bosom raptured lie, | |
Venting the gently-whisper’d sigh; | 20 |
A sigh that kindles warm desires, | |
And kindly fans life’s drooping fires; | |
Soft as the zephyr’s breezy wing, | |
And balmy as the breath of spring: | |
While you, sweet nymph! with am’rous play, | 25 |
In kisses suck my breath away; | |
My breath with wasting warmth replete, | |
Parch’d by my breast’s contagious heat; | |
Till, breathing soft, you pour again | |
Returning life through every vein; | 30 |
Thus soothe to rest my passion’s rage, | |
Love’s burning fever thus assuage: | |
Sweet nymph! whose breath can best allay | |
Those fires that on my bosom prey, | |
Breath welcome as the cooling gale, | 35 |
That blows when scorching heats prevail! | |
Then, more than blest, I fondly swear, | |
“No power can with Love’s power compare! | |
None in the starry court of Jove | |
Is greater than the god of Love! | 40 |
If any can yet greater be, | |
Yes, my Neaera! ye, ’tis thee!” | |