Thou silver deity of secret night,

Direct my footsteps through the woodland shade;

Thou conscious witness of unknown delight,

The Lover’s guardian, and the Muse’s aid!

By thy pale beams I solitary rove,

To thee my tender grief confide;

Serenely sweet you gild the silent grove,

My friend, my goddess, and my guide.

E’en thee, fair queen, from thy amazing height,

The charms of young Endymion drew;

Veil’d with the mantle of concealing night;

With all thy greatness and thy coldness too.