me;—the Water, the Clouds, Silence, Night; 
the vast green Sea, the shapeless water that 
hath many shapes; the place where thou art 
not, the lover that thou knowest not, mon-
strous flowers and delirious perfumes, cats 
that swoon at music and groan as women do 
with harsh, soft voice. 
“And thou shalt be loved of my lovers, 
courted by my courtiers. Thou shalt be the 
queen of those men whose eyes are green and 
whose throats I have clutched in my nocturnal 
caresses: of those who love the sea, the vast, 
tumultuous sea, the shapeless water that hath 
many shapes, the place where they are not, 
the women whom they know not; the sinister 
flowers that resemble the thuribles of an un-
known religion; the perfumes that trouble the 
will, and the savage and voluptuous beasts 
that are the symbols of their madness. 
And it is for that, spoilt child accursèd and 
belovèd, that I am crouched this moment at 
thy feet, seeking in all thy being the reflection 
of that fearful Divinity, that god-mother pro-
phetic, that poisonous nurse of all the mad-
men-of-the-moon.