THE VIRGIN
105
A draught of ichor
of the veins of Hell !
Curses leap leprous , epicene , unclean
,
The soul of the obscene
Incarnate in the spirit : and above
Hangs Sin , vast vampire , the corrupt , that swings
Her unredeeming wings
Over the world , and flaps , for lust
of Death
- and Love ! 1
" Kill
me,”
cries
Tannhäuser
.
“
In
the
kiss , ”
answers Venus : thus ends Act II .
Act III opens
a different
scene .
The outer materi
ality of body is
all
but sated
,
the
starved soul within
cries for sustenance
;
he murmurs
“
Elizabeth
,”
and
then wakes
strong
through
her
perfection
.
Venus
still
entices
,
but her
power
has vanished
,
and
at
the
name
of
“
Ave Maria
!”
the exorcism entangled round
the souls
of
the victims
of
the Venusberg
vanishes
in
a
vast roll
of
thunder and amidst the fierce
flashes
of
dazzling lightning
which rush through
the leaden
sky
rending
the
depths
of
despair
.
Tannhäuser
is
re
leased
from his
bondage
,
and
the
shackles
of
lust
fall
from
his
soul
;
he
is
free
,
and
kneeling
by
a
Calvary
.
Act IV again brings
our knight
before the gaze
of
the world
.
He has eaten
of
the tree
of
the Knowledge
of
Good and
of
Evil
,
and has become
as
a
god
.
He
wends his way
to
the
Court
of
the
Landgrave
and
there
meets
Elizabeth
,
“
His far
-
off
baby
-
love
,”
as
Venus
called her
,
and whispers
to
himself
,
“
Cannot
purity
be
brought
to
know
aught
but
itself
?
”
Herein
lies the note
of
his misfortunes
.
Purity was
but
ignorance
,
and
Tannhäuser
was
now
a
god
,
knowing
both good and evil
:
1
Tannhäuser
,
vol
.
i,
p
.
239
.