Phrase search ignores case and repeated whitespace. All-words search finds whole words anywhere on the same page. OCR errors can affect results.
No blade of grass awaiting takes The dew fresh-fallen above, Because my lover swoons, and slakes Her body’s thirst of love. This night no dewfall from the blue !— Unless my Alice be the dew. This night—O never dawn shall crest The world of wakening, Because my lover has my breast On hers for dawn and spring. This night shall never be withdrawn— Unless my Alice be the dawn. 47
So silent are the thrush, the lark ! The nightingale’s at rest, Because my love loves the dark, And has me in her breast. No song this happy night be heard !— Unless my Alice be the bird. The sea that roared around the house Is fallen from alarms, Because my lover calls me spouse, And takes me to her arms. This night no sound of breakers be !— Unless my Alice be the sea. Of man and maid in all the world Is stilled the swift caress, Because my lover has me curled In her own loveliness. No kiss be such a night as this !— Unless by Alice be the ki…
One kiss, like moonlight cold Lighting with floral gold The lake’s low tune ; One kiss, one flower to fold, On its own calyx rolled At night, in June ! One kiss, like dewfall, drawn A veil o’er leaf and lawn— Mix night, and noon, and dawn, Dew, flower, and moon ! One kiss, intense, supreme ! The sense of Nature’s dream And scent of Heaven Shewn in the glint and gleam Of the pure dawn’s first beam, With earth for leaven ; Moulded of fire and gold, Water and wine to fold Me in its life, and hold !— In all but seven ! 39
LETHE. We have forgotten all the days of fear, The nights of torment when the kiss expired, Lost upon lips with love not overtired, But fearing many things—the after year, The end, the man—O no, not him ! the tear, The children’s sorrow, and our own shame fired Not less in doing all that love desired : We have forgotten, surely—being here ! We have forgotten every shape of sorrow, Knowing no end to one night’s ecstasy In the night’s kiss from morning that we borrow, From the hard usurer, Eternity— Seeing we have it in our power to die Before th…
… you in the very name of love.” Quoth she : “ We have all day to steal below And snatch short kisses out of danger’s throat. Why beg you night : is not the day enough ?” But I : “ The night is panting and aglow to feel our hair distraught and limbs afloat.” 72
THE SEVENTEENTH DAY “ Now I want Spirits to enforce, art to enchant.” Tempest. Last night—but the boy shrieked in’s sleep—then, there I had ended all ! Having ingressed the track That leads from green or white-crowned hours to black, The pleasant portals of the scorpion snare, First gleaming toils of an enchantress’ hair That afterward shall change their fervours slack To strong gripe of a devil-fish : go back ? The hand is put forth to the plough—beware ! I took my shrine down : at the night we lay Four hours debating between fear and sin : Wh…
… black Buddha-rupa. There was a calm like unto—might I say, an afterwards ? “ There is an end of joy and sorrow, Peace all day long, all night, all morrow,” he began drowsily. A shrill voice rose in a great curse. The hoarse anger of drunken harlotry snarled back. “ Not a drop more,” shouted my friend, adding many things*. It was time for my return. “ I will let them know,” I whispered. “ Good- bye.” “ ‘ There is not one thing with another ; But Evil saith to Good : ‘ My brother—’ ” he went on unheeding. I left him to his peace. My re-appearanc…
…PPY Amid the drowsy dream, Lit by some fitful beam Of other light Than the mere sun, supreme On all the glint and gleam Shooting through night, Above the water-way Where my poor corpse must stay, I bend and float away From human sight. 3
…m :— And I—most miserable ! Still Echo wails upon the steep, “ To love—and to forget ! ” Still sombre whispers from the deep Sob through Night’s golden net, And waft upon the wings of sleep The name of Margaret. 17
…den in dark and mist, The moon and sun are dead, Because my love has caught and kissed My body in her bed. No light may shine this happy night— Unless my Alice be the light. 45
… ship To laugh and leap and dip Her brows divine ; One kiss, a starbeam faint With love of a sweet saint, Stolen like a sacrament In the night’s shrine ! 38
… Blush from the lilac bed. Like a young star even at its birth Shines out the golden head. Sad violets are the maiden girth, Pale flames night-canopied. O gentlest lady ! Lift those eyes, And curl those lips to kiss ! Melt my young boyhood in thy sighs, A subtler Salmacis ! Hide, in that peace, these ecstasies ; In that fair fountain, this ! 16
…if love as great as ours May not be God to part of us at least, Leaving the Rest to find its heights and powers In other spheres ; that, night’s enamoured priest ; This, on the lake the dewy lotus-flowers That lift their jewelled hearts toward the East. 94
…assions ;—long to fight And last to yield a Maenad-swelling breast Unto a furious Dionysian horde Drunk not with wine, but with avenging night. 43
…he been deformed ? ‘ Speed.’ Ever since you loved her.” Two Gentlemen of Vernona. Again the unveiled goddess of delight Watched us at midnight : there my lover lay Child-breasted, maiden as the rose of day Dawning on snowy mountains : through deep night Her body gleamed self-luminously white With the sweet soul that sundered the quick clay, And all her being was a sense of May ;— Scent conquering colour, soul out-running sight. Not with the Lysian, nor Iacchian dew Of frenzy covered, but with warmer flakes Of Aphrodite shed upon our life, We cl…
…k such bitter bloom, rooted in fear, Salt with the scurf of some diseaséd sea, Foul with the curse of God : that we are here, Hating the night’s inexorable hours. 71
… ever through— Words came not : only ever : “ I love you ! ” With broken kisses and stained cheeks of love. So all day long and half the night we wandered Down deep lanes and in gardens, like lost souls. Strong kisses that had surfeited a score Of earthly bridals in an hour we squandered ; And tears like fire, and looks like burning coals, Without a word passed on for evermore. 91
…he day’s due joys. She had not dared to speak one word, to tell How deep and pure a fountain sunward leapt In her life’s garden : but to-night she lay In my intense embraces : so the spell Moved her : “ I love you,” said she. So we kept, Remurmuring that one phrase until the day. 53
…um- stances wonderfully analogous. But I will truth- fully set down this history just as it all happened. I went one memorable Wednesday night to No. 29.* For my advent in this most reputable * Disinclination to marry is congenital in the elect : the Pauline alternative is discountenanced by my doctor. i
…ndous, terrible ! Thus I forgot my soul and dwelt alone In the strong fortress of the active mind Whose steady flame burned eager in the night ; Yet was some shadow on the starry throne, Some imperfection playing hoodman-blind So that I saw not perfectly aright. 29