MAID OF ATHENS.

Drawn by F. Stone, from an Original by T. Allason.

Ζώη μου, σὰς ἀγαπῶ.

"Maid of Athens, ere we part,
Give, oh, give me back my heart!
Or, since that has left my breast,
Keep it now, and take the rest!
Hear my vow before I go,
Ζώη μου, σὰς ἀγαπῶ.*

"By those tresses unconfined,

Woo'd by each Ægean wind;
By those lids, whose jetty fringe
Kiss thy soft cheeks' blooming tinge;
By those wild eyes like the roe,

Ζώη μου, σὰς ἀγαπῶ.

"Romaic expression of tenderness. If I translate it," says Lord Byron, "I shall affront the gentlemen, as it may seem that I supposed they could not; and if I do not, I may affront the ladies. For fear of any misconstruction on the part of the latter, I shall do so, begging pardon of the learned. It means, 'My life, I love you!' which sounds very prettily in all languages, and is as much in fashion in Greece at this day, as Juvenal tells us the two first words were amongst the Roman ladies, whose erotic expressions were all Hellenised."

66

By that lip I long to taste;

By that zone-encirled waist;
By all the token-flowers* that tell
What words can never speak so well;
By love's alternate joy and woe,

Ζώη μου, σὰς ἀγαπῶ.

"Maid of Athens! I am gone:

Think of me, sweet! when alone.

Though I fly to Istambol,†

Athens holds my heart and soul :

Can I cease to love thee? No!

Ζώη μου, σὰς ἀγαπῶ."

"I had almost forgot to tell you that I am dying for love of three Greek girls at Athens, sisters-I lived in the same house. Teresa, Mariana, and Katinca, ‡ are the names of these divinities-all of them under fifteen."

Lord Byron's Letter to Mr. H. Drury, May 3, 1810.

"In the East (where ladies are not taught to write, lest they should scribble assignations), flowers, cinders, pebbles, &c. convey the sentiments of the parties by that universal deputy of Mercury—an old woman. A cinder says, I burn for thee;' a bunch of flowers tied with hair, Take me and fly;' but a pebble declares - what nothing else can."

+ Constantinople.

In making love to one of these girls, he had recourse to an act of courtship often practised in that country—namely, giving himself a wound across the breast with his dagger. The young Athenian, by his own account, looked on very coolly during the operation, considering it a fit tribute to her beauty, but in no degree moved to gratitude.

MAID OF ATHENS.

THERESA MACRI was one of three sisters, the daughters of Mr. M'Cree, a Scotchman, who married a Grecian lady at Athens, and resided there as English consul. Having upon one occasion joined a party of English travellers in an excursion, he caught a fever on the journey, and died, leaving his family in straitened circumstances. Their possessions were some olivegrounds, the rental of which was aided by their letting part of their house to English travellers. Lord Byron lived with them the first time he was at Athens; on his return thither from Constantinople, he took up his abode at the Franciscan Convent. His frequent opportunities of seeing Theresa led to his feeling that affectionate regard towards her, or the poet's privilege of feigning it, which occasioned the above beautiful lines.

Among the English who visited Athens were two travellers, whose names are remarkable as associated with city honours. Messrs. W******** and C*****, who, struck with the beauty and manners of these interesting girls, by their attentions and avowal of honourable love, won the affections of the two sisters, Theresa and Catinca, and promised them marriage. Theresa was introduced by Mr. W. to all his friends at Athens as his future bride; and upon his leaving that city, he wished that the family of his intended should gratify his pride by no longer letting a part of their house to strangers. On the return of the lovers to