Page:Works of Voltaire Volume 36.djvu/108

86 Both weary of the marriage yoke You supped each night beneath an oak On millet, water, and on mast, And having finished your repast, On the ground you were forced to lie, Exposed to the inclement sky: Such in the state of simple nature Is man, a helpless, wretched creature. Would you know in this cursed age, Against which zealots so much rage, To what men blessed with taste attend In cities, how their time they spend? The arts that charm the human mind All at his house a welcome find; In building it, the architect No grace passed over with neglect. To adorn the rooms, at once combine Poussin, Correggio the divine, Their works on every panel placed Are in rich golden frames incased. His statues show Bouchardon's skill, Plate of Germain, his sideboards fill. The Gobelin tapestry, whose dye Can with the painter's pencil vie, With gayest coloring appear As ornaments on every pier. From the superb salon are seen Gardens with Cyprian myrtle green. I see the sporting waters rise By jets d'eau almost to the skies. But see the master's self approach And mount into his gilded coach,