Thelema ScholarTHE ALEISTER CROWLEY COLLECTION
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1905 · PDF PAGE 8

Rosa Mundi

— 3 — But of some spark of woven eternity Immortal in this bosom. Phosphor paled And in the grey upstarted the dread veiled Rose light of dawn. Sunshapen shone thy spears Of love forth darting into myriad spheres, Which I the poet called this light, that flower, This knowledge, that illumination, power This and love that, in vain, in vain, until Thy beauty dawned, all beauty to distil Into one drop of utmost dew, one name Choral as floral, one thin, subtle flame Fitted to a shaft of love. O bear me far Up and up yet to where thy sacred star Bur…

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1905 · PDF PAGE 20

Rosa Mundi

— 15 — And light, shown ever as silence and deep night Secret as death and final. Let me long Never again for aught ! This great delight Involves me, weaves me in its pattern of bliss, Seals me with its own kiss, Draws me to thee with every dream that glows, Poet, each word ; maiden, each burden of snows Extending beyond sunset, beyond dawn ! O Rose, inviolate, utterly withdrawn In the truth : — for this is truth : Love knows ! Ah ! Rose of the World ! Rose ! Rose !

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1905 · PDF PAGE 11

Rosa Mundi

…us Eden surelier breeds the snake. Be silent ! O ! for silence’ sake ! That asks the impossible. Smite ! Smite ! Profaned adytum of pure light, Smite ! but I must sing on. Nay ! can the orison

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1905 · PDF PAGE 10

Rosa Mundi

…ginal breeding breeze Was yet of either unstirred ; Unspoken the Great Word. Then on a sudden, we knew. From deep to deep Reverberating, lightning unto lightning Across the sundering brightening Abyss of sorrow’s sleep, There shone the sword of love, and stuck, and clove The intolerable veil, The woven chain of mail Prudence self-called, and folly known to who May know. Then, O sweet drop of dew, Thy limpid light rolled over and was lost

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1905 · PDF PAGE 16

Rosa Mundi

— 11 — Beheld in the mirror of truth, The Rose indifferent to God’s gesture, The Rose on moonlight wings That flies to the House of Fire, The Rose of Honey-in-Youth ! Ah ! No dim mystery of desire Fathoms this gulph ! No light invades The mystical musical shades Of a faith in the future, a dream of the day When athwart the dim glades Of the forest a ray Of sunlight shall flash and the dew die away ! Let there then be obscurity in this ! There is an after rapture in the kiss. The fire, flesh, perfume, music, that outpaced All time, fly off ; the…

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1905 · PDF PAGE 14

Rosa Mundi

…ance vain With one convincing rapture, beat them hollow As an ass’s skin ; wert thou, Apollo, Mere slave to me, not Lord — thy fieriest flight And stateliest shaft of light Thyself thyself surpassing : all were dull, And thou, O rose, sole, sacred, wonderful, Informing all, in all most beautiful, Circle and sphere, perfect in every part, High above hope of Art : Though, be it said ! thou art nowhere now, Save in the secret chamber of my heart. Behind the brass of my anonymous brow. Ay ! let the coward and slave who writes write on ! He is no mo…

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1905 · PDF PAGE 12

Rosa Mundi

…ice were whirled Away in the wind of its own folly, thrown Into forgotten places and unknown. So I sing on ! Sister and wife, dear wife, Light of my love and lady of my life, Answer if thou canst from the unsullied place, Unveiling for one star-wink thy bright face ! Did we leave then, once cognisant, Time for some Fear to implant His poison ? Did we hesitate ? Leave but one little chance to Fate ? For one swift second did we wait ? There is no need to answer : God is God, A jealous God and evil ; with His rod He smiteth fair and foul, and with…

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1905 · PDF PAGE 13

Rosa Mundi

— 8 — So thine eternal petals shall enclose Me, O most wonderful lady of delight, Immaculate, indivisible circle of night, Inviolate, invulnerable Rose ! The sound of my own voice carries me on. I am as a ship whose anchors are all gone, Whose rudder is held by Love the indomitable — Purposeful helmsman ! Were his port high Hell, Who should be fool enough to care ? Suppose Hell’s waters wash the memory of this rose Out of my mind, what misery matters then ? Or, if they leave it, all the woes of men Are as pale shadows in the glory of That passi…

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