The Soul of Osiris

4 THE SOUL OF OSIRIS. THE ALTAR OF ARTEMIS. HERE, in the coppice, oak and pine And mystic yew and elm are found, Sweeping the skies, that grow divine With the dark wind’s despairing sound, The wind that roars from the profound, And smites the mountain-tops, and calls Mute spirits to black festivals, And feasts in valleys iron-bound, Desolate crags, and barren ground ;— There in the strong storm-shaken grove Swings the pale censer-fire for love. The foursquare altar, rightly hewn, And overlaid with beaten gold, Stands in the gloom ; the stealthy tune Of singing maidens overbold Desires mad mysteries untold, With strange eyes kindling, as the fleet Implacable untiring feet Weave mystic figures manifold That draw down angels to behold The moving music, and the fire Of their intolerable desire. W