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Page 1 of 31901 · PDF PAGE 69
…E 55 Speak, that I rise from chaos, from the world Of shapeless and illusionary forms, And dead men’s husks, and unsubstantial things. O mother, mother, mother! I arise! RATOUM. Horus, dread godhead, child of me, arise! Arise Osiris, to the sacred rites: And marriage-bed of fuller deity, Now, at the serpent-motion of this wand, Rise from the dead! Arise, dead Horus, rise To be Osiris. Isis speaks! Arise! | Zhe coffin ts opened. The leper ts raised out of zt swathed in bandages. Out of the sleep of ages wake and live! [ The wrappings fall off. T…
1901 · PDF PAGE 68
…ask of a lion). I lift the censer. Hail, immortal queen, From the vast hall of death! Dead Horus cries Towards the dawn. Bid me awake, O mother! O mother! from the darkness of the tomb, That live Osiris may cry back to thee, O spouse! O sister! from the halls of life, The profound lake, the immeasurable depth, The sea of the three Loves! O mother, mother! Isis, the voice that even Ament hears,
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CONTENTS PROLOGUE—SIN: AN ODE THE MOTHER’s TRAGEDY THE FaTAL Force THE SUMMIT OF THE AMOROUS MOUNTAIN THE MOTHER AT THE SABBATH THE BRIDEGROOM . THE CoURSE OF TRUE LOVE MADONNA OF THE GOLDEN EYEs . CONVENTIONAL WICKEDNESS . Mors JANUA AMORIS SIDONIA THE SORCERESS THE WHORE IN HEAVEN THE LesBiaN HELL THE REAPER . . THE Lorp’s Day THE GROWTH OF Gop . Love’s WISDOM PAGE vil 30 66 67 70 73 75 79 80 84 85 9° 94 97 98 102
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THE MOTHER’S TRAGEDY
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THE MOTHER'S TRAGEDY OTHER POEMS ALEISTER CROWLEY PRIVATELY PRINTED Tore)|
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22 THE MOTHER'S TRAGEDY Me, the sole pledge of your debaucheries, You keep—your love, the mere maternity You share with swine and cattle! All your care Is duty: let the harlot cleanse herself— Tardy repentance !—In the name of God! Worse, you have lied, and built me up a house Of trust in you as being truth and love, - Who are in truth all lies, all treachery! You made me love you as an honest man ! You watched this passion, this intolerable Desire, this flame of hell; you fed it full, Sunned it and watered—O my brain will snap !— Only to blast…
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20 THE MOTHER’S TRAGEDY CORA. This shaft is aimed even against thy life. ULRIC. What is my life without the love of thee ? CORA. I hate each word as I do hate the devil. ULRIC. I, each evasion. Iam bound a slave To this wild passion. It will eat me up. CORA. You cannot guess the horror that you speak. I tell you, if I know your golden heart, This detestation of yourself shall cry The cry of Edipus—“ I have profaned——” ULRIC. What sphinx more cruel? What new C:dipus ? You riddle, Cora, and it breaks my heart. [He sinks exhausted. (Rallying.) By …
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… on thine iron hand. For Murder walks by night, and hides her face, But righteous Wrath in the light, and knows his place; For hate of a mother is ill, and the lightning flashes, But foil a harlot’s will, burn the earth to ashes, Cleanse the incestuous sty of a whore’s desire, Scatter the dung to the sky, and burn her with fire! So the avenging master shall cleanse his fate of shame, Set his seal of disaster, a royal seal to his name. [Exeunt. PACHAD. I am not Horus, but I shall be king. Enter LEPER. THE LEPER. I am a leper, but I am the king. …
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THE MOTHER'S TRAGEDY 21 ULRIC. Stop! stop! I did not hear you. O my God! What agony is this? What have I done To earn this infamy? Or rather, Thou, What have I not done? Have Thou pity yet; Sustain me in this vile extremity! [He prays silently. CORA, watching him. How wonderful! He will abide the shock. Death and mute horror fight within his face Against a will made masterful to Fate. ULRIC razses his eyes and lifts hts arm in act to strike. Then I detest you! Mother! Treacherous! Vile as the worm that battens on the dead! CORA. Ulric! He’s mad…
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28 THE MOTHER'S TRAGEDY MADELINE. O Heart of Jesus! Thou art bleeding still ! This was Thy true disciple. Leave her not, Sweet Jesus, in this madness. Who is this ? [Enter ULRIC; he carries a razor. ULRIC. I have a lovely bride at last, my dear! A phantom with intolerable eyes Came close and whispered: I am Wisdom’s self, Thy spouse from everlasting. Mortal king Of my immortal self, I claim thy love! So, we are wedded close. Justice demands The punishment of this accurséd one, Originator of the cruel crimes My mother-mistress carried to their c…
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12 THE MOTHER’S TRAGEDY Majestic fires! Before the throne of God Deep silence waits the lifting of the rod, The moving nod. Silence, reflected thence, still and intense, into the firmament; Such silence as befits the event. Re-enter CORA. CORA. This is the hour, O child whom I have loved With love more tender than a mother’s love, Being thy friend; this moment have I sought, Awaiting always the propitious time, To speak some purpose grown more definite Than is our wont. We spent the honey days In gentle intercourse: high souls have stood Watchi…
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THE MOTHER'S TRAGEDY 5 MADELINE. I am dismayed at my discovery. (Slowly.) I never guessed my own poor silliness Until that moment when you frightened me. CORA. And now you know how dear he is to you! Come, child, I love you both. Your happiness Is my life’s purpose. I have seen the truth Of this in you; it comes to every one. I know that he is half in love with you. Look once again as you did look just now, And he would die for you. O foolish girl! [MADELINE weeps guzetly for a little, CORA caressing her. MADELINE. Please let me go: you are too…
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THE MOTHER’S TRAGEDY 23 To witness; and I call mankind to hear; This is my faith: I live and die by it. I, nobler, cast away the infamy, Break with my hands these rotten barricades, [He picks up his mother’s Bible, tears it, and casts tt into the fire. And swear before the Spirit of the World, In sight of God, this day: I love you still With carnal love and spiritual love! And I will have you, by the living God, To be my mistress. If I fail in this, Or falter in this counsel of despair, May God’s own curses dog me into hell, And mine own life p…
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THE MOTHER’S TRAGEDY 9 Of my old life; I sought another world. I ‘‘ got religion ””"—how I hate the phrase !— So jest the matron newspapers. The end. Since then I lived, as I am living still, Wrapped in the all-absorbing love of him My child, my child! And now my selfishness Is shamed, and I have made the sacrifice To give this pure heart to that maidenly, And let mine old age grow upon my hair, Finding my happiness in seeing him The all-devoted, and in God’s good pleasure Have little children playing at my knees, That I may listen, in their in…
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68 THE MOTHER AT THE SABBATH Close we are come; before us is the Cross To trample and defile: the bones shall shudder Of many a self-slain darling. From the moss Swamp-adders greet us. How the dancers toss The frantic limb, the unreluctant udder! See, how their frenzy peoples all the ground! Strange demon-shapes take up the unholy measure, Strange beast and worm and crab: the uncouth sound Of the unheard-of kisses: the profound Gasps of the maniac, the devouring pleasure! A curse of God is on them !—ha! the curse, The curse that locks them in o…
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… I hail thee, son, the secret spouse of me, King of my body and this realm to-day! For lo! the child leapt up within my womb, Hailing me mother, and my spirit leapt, Hailing him brother! Son and spouse and king, Exulting father of the royal soul That lies here, loving me, assume thy crown And sit beside me, equal to thy queen. For look ye to the burning south, and see The Sun grown amorous, and behold his fire Leap to my godhead. For without a man I single, I the mother, have conceived Of my own loins, and made me no less god Than all your gods…
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THE MOTHER'S TRAGEDY 19 CORA. All is too true—my own philosophy Mars my world’s wisdom. (Suddenly.) Can you tell me why I loved you as a child, and why I dare Now take your head between my hands and kiss Your forehead with these shameful lips of mine, These harlot lips, and kiss you unashamed ? ULRIC. Strange are these words, and this emotion strange! CORA. Strange is the truth, and deadly as an asp. ULRIC. Wear me no more with this anxiety. CORA. How can I speak? For this will ruin us. ULRIC. Unspoken, I demand thy heart of thee. CORA. My hear…
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…me thy face of ruth, And in thy way of truth, Guide my weak youth, That stumbles while it walks, makes discord when it sings! So, Mighty Mother! Pure, Eternal Spouse, Isis, thou Star, thou Moon, thou Mightiest, Lead my weak steps to thine Eternal House! Rest my vain head on thine Eternal Breast! Spread wide the wings divine Over this shadowy shrine, Where in my heart their hovering lendeth Light! Bend down the amazing Face Of sorrow and of grace, Share the deep vigil of thine eremite! So let the sighing breath Draw on the Hour of Death, Whence …
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… for your disloyalty. AMENHATEP. Beware ! How died thy father ? PACHAD. That amazing god Incarnate in him chose a nobler form, And in my mother’s body sought his home, Whose double incarnation is divine Beyond th’ old stories. Yes, I am a god.
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50 THE FATAL FORCE Hear, O hear the mystic song Of the serpent-moving throng, Isis mother, Isis maiden, Isis beautiful and strong! Even as the traitor’s breath Goeth forth, he perisheth By the secret sibilant word that is spoken unto death. RATOUM. The hour is given unto death. Bring in Dead Horus, for the night is shed above. [Coffin brought in. CHORUS. The noise of the wind of the winter; the sound Of the wings of the charioted night ; The song of the sons of the seas profound ; The thunder of death; the might Of the eloquent silence of black…