Coridon on the Death of His Dear Alexis, Ob. Jan. 28, 1682/3

Alexis! dear Alexis! lovely boy!
O my Damon! O Palaemon! snatch'd away,
To some far distant region gone,
Has left the miserable Coridon
Bereft of all his comforts, all alone!
Have you not seen my gentle lad,
Whom every swain did love,
Cheerful, when every swain was sad,
Beneath the melancholy grove?
His face was beauteous as the dawn of day,
Broke through the gloomy shades of night:
O my anguish! my delight!
Him (ye kind shepherds) I bewail,
Till my eyes and heart shall fail.
Tis He that's landed on that distant shore,
And you and I shall see him here no more.
Return, Alexis! O return!
Return, return, in vain I cry;
Poor Coridon shall never cease to mourn
Thy too untimely, cruel destiny.
Farewell for ever, charming boy!
And with Thee, all the transports of my joy!
Ye powers above, why should I longer live,
To waste a few uncomfortable years,
To drown myself in tears,
For what my sighs and pray'rs can ne'er retrieve?