Collected Works (Vol. III)

168 ORPHEUS And there [ vowed a solemn oath To Aphrodite fair, Sealing that sacramental troth With a long curl of hair, And the strange prayer’s reiterant growth Sent shining through the air. (Lavoking Aphrodite) Daughter of Glory, child Of Earth’s Dione mild By the I'ather of all, the A2gis-bearing King ! Spouse, daughter, mother of God, Queen of the blest abode In Cyprus’ splendour singly glittering. Sweet sister unto me, I cry aloud to thee! I laugh upon thee laughing, O dew caught up from sea! Drawn by sharp sparrow and dove And swan’s wide plumes of love, And all the swallow’s swifter vehemence, And, subtler than the Sphinx, The ineffable iynx 1 Heralds thy splendour swooning into sense, When from the bluest bowers And greenest-hearted hours Of Heaven thou smilest toward earth, a miracle of flowers ! Down to the loveless sea Where lay Persephone Violate, where the shade of earth is black, Crystalline out of space Flames the immortal face! The glory of the comet-tailéd track Blinds all black earth with tears. Silence awakes and hears The music of thy moving come over the. starry spheres. Wrapped in rose, green and gold, Blues many and manifold, A cloud of incense hides thy splendour of: light ; 1 An imaginary animal, sacred to Venus. Hides from the prayer’s distress Thy loftier loveliness Till thy veil’s glory shrouds the earth from night ; And silence speaks indeed, Seeing the subtler speed Of its own thought than speech of the Pan- dean reed! There no voice may be heard ! No place for any word ! The heart’s whole fervour silently speeds to thee, Immaculate ! and craves Thy kisses or the grave’s, Till, knowing its unworthiness to woo thee, Remembers, grows content With the old element, And asks the lowlier grace its earlier music meant. So, Lady of all power! Kindle this firstling flower The rainbow nymph above the waterfall Into a mortal shade Of thee, immortal maid, That in her love I gather and recall Some memory mighty and mute In love’s poor substitute Of thee, thy Love too high, the impossible pursuit ! Then from the cloud a golden voice Great harmonies persuade, That all the cosmic lawns rejoice Like laughter of a maid ; Till evolution had no choice, But heard it, and obeyed. ‘¢ Show by thy magic art The hero-story ! Awake the maiden heart With tunes of glory! With mortal joys and tears, Keen woes and blisses, Awake her faiths and fears, Her tears and kisses !”’