ACELDAMA,
A PLACE TO BURY STRANGERS IN.
A PHILOSOPHICAL POEM.
1898.
[The poems collected in Volume I. comprise the whole of the first period of Crowley’s life ;
namely, that of spiritual and mystic enthusiasm.
to class them as Juvenilia.
to 1897 have been sedulously sought out and
ACELDAMA.
'‘T contemplate myself in that dim sphere
Whose hollow centre I am standing at
With burning eyes intent to penetrate
The black circumference, and find out Ged.”
‘Except a corn of wheat fall into the ground
and die, it abideth alone; but if it die, it
bringeth forth much fruit. He that loveth
his life shall lose it; and he that hateth his
life in this world shall keep it unto life
eternal.”--S‘vr. JOHN xil, 24, 25.
Ir was a windy night, that memorable seventh
night of December, when this philosophy was
born in me. How the grave old Professor!
wondered at my ravings! I had called at his
house, for he was a valued friend of mine,
and I felt strange thoughts and emotions shake
within me. Ah! how I raved! I called to
him to trample me, he would not. We passed
together into the stormy night. | was on
horseback, how | galloped round him in my
phrenzy, till he became the prey of a real
physical fear! How I shrieked out I] know
not what strange words! And the poor good
old man tried all he could to calm me; he
thought I was mad! The fool! I was in the
death struggle with self: God and Satan
fought for my soul those three long hours.
God conquered—now I have only one doubt
left—which of the twain was God?
I aspire !
‘* And falling headlong, he burst asunder in
the midst, and all his bowels gushed out... .
Insomuch as that field is called in their proper
tongue, Aceldama, that is to say—the field of
blood.”-—.ACTS i. 18, T9.
Howbeit, ;
The poet himself would be inclined
A few other early poems appear in ‘‘ Oracles,” Vol. IL,
chosen as illustrative of the progress of his art.
The great bulk of the early MSS. from 1887
destroyed. They were very voluminous.|
DEDICATION.
i DIvINE PHILOSOPHER !? Dear Friend !?
Lover and Lord !* accept the verse
That marches like a sombre hearse,
Bearing Truth’s coffin, to the end.
Let man’s distorted worships blend
In this, the worthier and the worse,
And penetrate the primal curse.
Alas! They will not comprehend.
Accept this gospel of disease
In wanton words proclanned, receive
The biood-wrought chaplet that J weave,
Take me, and with thine infamies
Mingle my shame, and on my breast
Let thy desire achicve the rest.
ACELDAMA,
‘«Six months and | sit still and hold
In two cold palms her cold two feet;
, Her hair, half grey half ruined vold,
| Thrills me and burns me in kissing it.
_ Love bites and stings me through to see
Her keen face made of sunken bones,
Her worn-out eyelids madden me,
‘That were shot through with purple once.”
SWINBURNE, “Phe Leper,”
Poems and Ballads, 1866,
1 Von Eckartshausen.
* 2 An adept who was in correspondence with
1C.G. Lamb, Demonstrator of Engineering; the author.
at Cambridge.
VOI. I.
3 Christ.