104
THE STAR IN THE WEST
And sinuous
sinewy glitter of serpenthood
,
That I may look once
more
into
his
face ,
And , kissing , kill him ! Thus to hold
him fast ,
Drawing
his
human
spirit into mine
For strength
,
for life
,
for poison
!
Ah
,
my God
!
These pangs
,
these
torments
!
See
!
the sleeper wakes
!
I
am triumphant
!
For
he
reaches
out
The sleepy
arms
,
and turns
the drowsy head
To catch the dew dissolving
of
my
lip
.
Wake
,
lover
,
wake
!
Thy Venus waits for thee
!
Draw back
,
look
,
hunger
!
—and
thy mouth
is
mine
!"
The vision
of
Elizabeth
,
the loved one
of
his boy
hood
-
his pure ideal
—
rises
before
him
.
so
delicate and frail
,
Far
,
white
,
and lonely
as
the coldest star
Set beyond
gaze
of
any eye but God's
.2
And
he
tells Venus
of
her
.
To which she answers
:
Thine old desire
Was just
to
touch
the mere impalpable
,
To
formulate
the formless ...
3
Again Tannhäuser
bursts into song
,
one
of
those
magnificent
lyrics
,
flashing
like
a
ruby
,
warm and
flaming
in
the glowing gold
of
this drama
.
And thus
does his song end
:
Whose long
-
drawn curse runs venom
in
my veins
?
What dragon spouse
consumes
me with her breath
?
What passionate hatred
,
what infernal pains
,
Mixed with thy being
in
the womb
of
Death
?
Blistering
fire runs
,
Scorching
,
terrific suns
,
Through
body and
soul
in
this abominable
Marriage
of
demon
power
Subtle and strong and sour
,
2
Ibid
.
vol
.I,
p
.
236
.
1
Tannhäuser
,
vol
.
i,
p
.
234
.
3
Ibid
.
vol
.
I,
p
.
237
.