Giants in castles strong of old,
Secur'd their damsels, and their gold;
'Till some renown'd, adventurous knight,
Rescu'd Dulcinea from sad plight.
I come that knight of prowess bold,
To conquer this enchanted hold.
For tho' the doors were double barr'd,
And Argus watch'd upon the guard,
In spight of all that you can do,
Love and the Muse will venture thro'.
Strong garrisons will often yield,
Soon as the Muses take the field:
And mighty conquests have been crown'd,
By magic force of verse and sound.
Orpheus by music's powerful spell,
Redeem'd Eurydice from hell.
And walls of Fericho fell down,
When trumpets had besieg'd the town.

I N vain you try with hostile air,
To draw entrenchments round the fair,
And in that circling battery,
All other candidates defy.
In vain with arbitrary arms,
You'd fain monopolize such charms.
But 'tis a most despotic duty,
To lay embargo upon beauty;
To keep the treasure to yourself,
As misers hoard their shining pelf,
But what is wealth hid under ground,
Or what is beauty thus in pound?
Vain is the gold that gilds the mine,
Or beauty when it does not shine.

S UCH arts of sorcery I despise,
'Tis in her looks the magic lies;
Where e'er she takes her fairy round,
'Tis every inch inchanted ground;
That path is consecrated more,
Than Delphian groves, or Circe 's shore.

T HEN lay aside your fruitless care,
No circle can secure the fair;
Nor lines of strong circumvallation,
Keep so untenable a station,
The pale where beauty dwells should lie,
Wide as the circle of the sky:
Compast with all your spells and charms,
The surest circle is her arms.