Rodin in Rime

OCTAVE MIRBEAU RUTAL refinement of deep-seated vice Carves the coarse features in a sentient mould. The gardens,’ that were soft with flowers and gold And sickening with murder of lust to entice The insane to filthier raptures, carrion spice Of ordure for perfume, bloom there, fixed bold By the calm of the Master, god-like to behold The horror with firm chisel and glance of ice. Ay! and the petty and the sordid soul, A servile whore’s deformed debauchery,? Grins from the image. Let posterity From Rodin’s art guess Mirbeau’s heart, extol The lethal chamber men ere then will find For the pimp’s pen and the corrupted mind. 1 Le jardin des supplices, par Octave Mirbeau. 2 Les mémoires d’une femme de chambre, par Octave Mirbeau. 65 K