The Star in the West

The Virgin “ T O be a singer of sweet songs , " is the great ideal Crowley has enshrined before him ; for varied as his powers are , entwined with satire , philosophy and mysticism , as a singer of lyrics and love -songs Aleister Crowley remains unsurpassed , unrivalled , among the host of present-day poets . His thoughts are as subtle , his imagination as gorgeous , his melodies as charming as those of Shelley himself ; soft as a summer breeze , fresh as the dawn in May, sunny as a June day , and then furious with burning passion and vitriolic lust . So closely interwoven in spirit are the true lyrics with the remainder of his amatory poetry , that it would be dangerous to attempt to separate them , and such an attempt would almost certainly lead to repetition or a breaking of the chain of psychosexual sensations , dimming that lustre which thrills through these mag nificent verses , from the chaste kiss of a mother to the Phaedrian embrace of a Sadistic sow . In “ Why Jesus Wept," we have the ephemeral and headstrong passion of youth ; whilst in “ The Tale of Archais we find it burning only as a pure and lambent flame , overcoming all adversity , sacrificing self - love and even self - honour to attain the ideal of its purpose . Love is the predominant power in the universe ; over and over again we shall find this enforced , greater than fame , than wealth , than glory , greater than knowledge ,