Collected Works (Vol. I)

134 W hose |bowers of“flame shall tell the sky of God How we despised his feet) with thunder shod, And conquered, clasping, all the host) of death. Turn to me, touch me, mix thy very breath With mine to mingle floods of fiery dew With flames of purple, the sea shot through With golden glances of a fiercer star. Turn to me, bend above me, you may char These olive shoulders with an old-time kiss, And fix thy mouth upon me for such bliss Of sudden rage rekindled, Turn again, And make delight the minister of pain, And pain the father ofa new delight, And light a lamp of torture for the night Too grievous to be borne without a cry To rend the very bowels of the sky And make the archangel gasp—a sudden pang, Most like a traveller stricken by the fang Of the black adder whose squat head splings up, A flash of death, beneath a cactus cup. Ah turn! my bosom for thy love is cold ; My arms are empty, and my lips can hold No converse with thee far away like this. O for that communing pregnant with a kiss That is reborn when lips are set together To link our souls in one desirous tether, And weld our very bodies into one. Ah fiend Jehovah, what then have we done e like ours too like strong To dwell before thee, and do thy throne no wrong? Art thou grown jealous of the fiery band? Lo! thou hast spoken, and thy strong com- mand Bade earth and air divide, and on the sea Thy spirit moved—and thou must envy me! Gird all thy godhead to destroy a man Whose little moment is a single span, Whose small desire is nothing—and thy power Must root from out his bosom the fair flower TEZEBEL 5 AND OTHER TRAGIC POEMS Of passion! Listen to thine own voice yet: “A rich man many flocks and herds did get And the poor man’s lamb.” Thou art the man ! Our love must lie beneath thy Thou petty, envious God! sure His brute took Vitter ban! My king, be force shall not to the end endure 3; Some stronger soul than thine shall wrest his crown And thrust him from his own high heaven down To some obscure forgetful hell. Forsake thy hopes in him! we, Rather the dear delights we know and hold ; The first cool kiss, within the water cold That draws its music from some bubbling well, Looks long, looks deadly, looks desirable, The touch that fires, the next kiss, and the whole Body embracing, symbol of the soul, And all the perfect passion of an hour. Turn to me, pluck that amaranthine flower, And leave the doubtful blossoms of the sky ! You dare not kiss me! dare not draw you nigh Lest I should lure you to remain ! nor speak Lest you should catch the blood within your cheek Mantling. agro !— When to my blossom body clean as snow You pressed your bosom till desire was pain, And—then—that midnight—you did dare remain Though all my limbs were bloody with your mouth That tore their flesh to satiate its drouth, That was not thereby satished! And now A pallid coward, with sly, skulking brow, You must leave Sodom for your spouse’s sake. Coward and coward and coward! who would take The best flower of my life and leave me so, Still loving you—Ah ! weak—and turn to go For me We worship, You dared enough—so_ long