View source for (Boylove Documentary Sourcebook) - "To an English Boy" by Hilary the Englishman, Early 12th Century (full-text poem)

[[File:Ganymede being abducted by Jupiter transformed into of an eagle.png|thumb|center|[[Ancient Rome|Ancient Roman]] pavimental mosaic medallion depicting the abduction of [[Ganymede (mythology)|Ganymede]] by [[Zeus (mythology)|Jupiter]] transformed into an eagle (Early 3rd Century AD). Sousse, Archaeological Museum.]]


From "Medieval Latin Literature" by Thomas Stehling and James J. Wilhelm, in <i>[[Homosexuality|Gay and Lesbian]] Poetry: An Anthology from Sappho to Michelangelo</i>, edited by James J. Wilhelm (Abingdon, Oxon; New York: Routledge, 2013). First published in 1995 by Routledge.

<div style="margin:.5em auto; width:95%; min-height:5em; background-color:#F5FAFF; border:3px solid #c9c9ff; padding:1em;">
<i><b>[2] To an English Boy</b></i><br>
Hail, handsome boy, you who seek no gain,<br>
Who think that to be purchased by a gift is the highest vice,<br>
In whom beauty and integrity choose their dwelling place,<br>
Whose appearance captures the eyes of all who see.<br>
Golden hair, beautiful face, and white neck,<br>
Soft, sweet conversation—why praise things one by one?<br>
You are completely handsome; there is no flaw in you—<br>
Except this worthless decision to devote yourself to chastity.<br>
When nature created you, it wavered for a moment,<br>
Deciding whether to produce you as a girl or a male.<br>
But while she fixed her mind on this choice,<br>
Look! you came forth, a boy born for all to see.<br>
Later, when she put her final touches on you,<br>
She marveled that she could have made such a creature.<br>
Yet it was true that nature had made one mistake:<br>
Assembling so many good things, she made you mortal.<br>
Any other mortal is worthless when compared to you,<br>
Whom nature made as a unique son for herself.<br>
You Beauty chooses as her very domicile;<br>
Your dear flesh shines as radiantly as the lily.<br>
Believe me, if the ancient times of Jove ever returned,<br>
Ganymede would no longer be Jove’s private servant;<br>
But you—swept away on high—would offer Jupiter<br>
Cups pleasing by day and draughts more pleasing by night.<br>
You stand out, an object honored by young men and girls;<br>
They sigh and long for you, knowing you are unique.<br>
Those who call you an Angle truly make a mistake—or sin.<br>
Let them reverse the vowel and call you “angel.” 
</div>


[[File:Simeon Solomon - Angel Boy.png|thumb|center|<i>Angel Boy</i> (1895) by Simeon Solomon. Watercolor on paper, 18 × 13 cm. Private collection.]]

==See also==
*[[Adult friend (dictionary)]]
*[[Age of attraction (dictionary)]]
*[[Boylove]]
*[[Ephebophilia]]
*[[Greek love]]
*[[Loved boy (dictionary)]]
*[[Minor-attracted person (dictionary)]]
*[[Pederasty]]
*[[Pedophilia]]
*[[Young friend (dictionary)]]

==External links==
*[https://greek-love.com/europe-5th-17th-centuries/the-greek-love-poems-of-hilary-the-englishman THE GREEK LOVE POEMS OF HILARY THE ENGLISHMAN (Greek Love Through the Ages]

[[Category:Boylove Documentary Sourcebook]]
[[Category:United Kingdom]]‎
[[Category:France]]‎
[[Category:Medieval Latin literature]]‎
[[Category:Boylove in literature]]
[[Category:Poetry]]
[[Category:LGBT articles]]