Title:  The Tales and Novels, v16:  The Amorous Courtesan & Nicaise

Author:  Jean de La Fontaine

Release Date:  March, 2004 [EBook #5290] [Yes, we are more than one year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on June 21, 2002]

Edition:  10

Language:  English

Character set encoding:  ASCII

*** Start of the project gutenberg Ebook tales and novels of Fontaine, V16 ***

This eBook was produced by David Widger widger@cecomet.net

[Note:  There is a short list of bookmarks, or pointers, at the end of the file for those who may wish to sample the author’s ideas before making an entire meal of them.  D.W.]

The tales and novels
of
J. De la Fontaine

Volume 16.

Contains: 
The Amorous Courtesan
Nicaise

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,
          Though haughty, singular, and unrestrained. 
          Not easy ’twas her favours to procure;
          Rome was the place where dwelled this belle impure;
          The mitre and the cross with her were naught;