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…d bright birds, Tremble above the sea With song more noble, the divinest potion Of poets wonder and bards melody ! ARCHAIS Cold is the kiss of the stars to the sea, The kiss of the earth to the orient grey That heralds the day ; Warmer the kiss of a love that is free As the wind of the sea, Quick and resurgent and splendid.
74 THE TALE OF ARCHAIS Hear thou their murmured song Who cry for pardon ; pity, and prepare For pains delight thy votaries who kiss thy rod, O high Lord God ! O Lord our God ! O garden tyrant ! O imperious god ! Who as a father smitest with thy rod Thine erring children who aspire In vain the high mysteries Of thy most secret fire. Beat us and burn with nameless infamies ! We suffer, and are proud and glad, and kiss thy rod, O high Lord God. O Lord our God ! O despot of the fields ! O silent god ! Who hidest visions underneath thy rod, And has…
…ough their bounds, and dreamt of love. Weary of womens old lascivious breed, The large luxurious lips of Ganymede, He, weary of tainted kiss and feverish lust, Esteeming love a desert of dry dust Because he found no freshness, no restraint, No virgin bosom, lips without a taint Of lewd imagining, yet passed not by With scorn of curled lip and contempt of eye The chaste abandon of the sleeping maid, But looked upon her lips, checked course, and stayed, And noted all the virginal fresh air Of Charicles, the maiden head half bare To Phoibos kiss…
…e we lie ; Music from the sky Tunes the hymeneal lyre that will echo till we die. God we feel is very nigh ; Soft, breeze, sigh While we kiss at last to slumber, And the varied number Of the forest songsters cry : This is immortality ; this is happiness for aye. Hush ! the music swells apace, Rolls its silver billows up Through the void demesne of space To the heavens azure cup ! Hush, my love, and sleep shall sigh This is immortality !
…rnfields, the pale Corybant Dreams to the restless breeze that flings aslant Locks of vain love to strange and sunless rays That are the kiss of Bacchos wanton mouth. On such a lawn the tender Charicles Stretched limbs, that greet this morning of the May With sweet shy vigour, while from the south Toward his lips there came the shining breeze To taste life crystal-clear and die away.
38 THE TALE OF ARCHAIS O lotus-flower too white, Starred purple, round and sweet, Rich golden wheat Of night. Ill kiss thee, lotus-flower, Ill pluck thee, yellow grain, Once and again This hour. There coos a dove to me Across the waves of space ; O passionate face To see ! Ill woo thee, silver dove, Caress thee, lotus-flower ; It is the hour Of Love. Cypris blushed deep ; albeit for love did swoon At the songs sweetness, while the cold dead moon Was still and pale ; her nymphs are fain to sigh With sudden longing filled, and like to die For…
… spirits Bound in the whirlwind . . . So the cliffs their Song . . . For the mist re- gathers, Girds them bride-like, fit for the sun to kiss them ; Darkness falls like dewfall about the hillsides ; Night is upon me.
P A R T I V FAIRER than woman, blushing at the kiss Of young keen Phoibos, whose lips nectar is More fresh than lilies, whose divine embrace Flushes the creamy pallor of her face, And, even in those depths of azure sea Where her eyes dwell, bids them glint amorously, While the intense hushed music of his breath Sighs, till her longing grows divine as death— So, fairer far, drew dawn on Idas grove. The young sun rose, whose burning lips of love Kissed the green steeps, whose beamy locks of flame Brushed oer the dewy pastures, with acclaim Of …
34 THE TALE OF ARCHAIS The warmer kisses of thy Archais. She spake, and on his brow, betwixt her hands Pressed softly, as a maid in bridal bands, Kissed him, her first chaste kiss. Then Charicles Gave her due thanks, and bent his ear to seize Her further words. And she : Not many days Shall flame and flicker into darkened ways Before the wings of night, ere Hermes fly Hither, the messenger of Zeus. But I Bid thee remain beneath the temple gate While I consider our war on Fate. Till then, and I will tell thee everything That thou must do ; bu…
…he spake, the dwindling shadow ran Beneath the feet of Charicles, the wan Waste water glinted free, and to the deep Cool pebbles did the kiss of sunshine creep ; The busy lark forgot for joy to sing, And all the woods with fairy voices ring ; The hills in dreamy langour seem to swoon Through the blue haze ! behold, the hour of noon ! And lo ! there came to pass the dreadful fate Her lips had shuddered out ; her pulses bate
THE TALE OF ARCHAIS 69 Of all fair Ida, thou hast sealed my bliss ! Then with one long intense unpitying kiss Pressed on her bosom, he arose and swore By heaven and earth and all the seas that roar And stars that sing, by rivers and fresh flood, By his own essence, by his body and blood, To lay his godhead down, till night drew nigh, To be a mortal till the vesper cry Of dying breezes. So the morning past And found them linked inexorably fast Each in the others arms. Their lips are wed To drink the breezes from the fountain-head Of lovers b…
…lighted sighs. Bring music, hear me chant the world that is, And how Loves ambush in all nature lies, And I will tell how for one eager kiss My soul is fain to forget Paradise In Archais.
…mplish death, Had not the goddess with the rosy shoon Stooped oer the silver surface of the moon To touch his brow with slumber, like a kiss Whose dreams perfused the name of Archais, Till the sweet odour dulled his brain, and sleep Loosened his limbs, most dreamless and most deep. The mosses serve him for a bed ; the trees Wave in the moonlight, daughters of the breeze ; Hardly the pleasant waters seem to shake, And only nightingales, for slumbers sake, Lull the soft stars and seas, and matchless music make. And now the sun is risen above th…
THE TALE OF ARCHAIS 67 Of long delight, and so with gentle kiss Touched the maids cheek, and broke her dream of bliss. And she, more startled than the yearling fawn As the rude sun breaks golden out of dawn, One swift sharp beam of glory, leapt aside And made as if to flee, but vainly plied Her tender feet amid the tangled flowers. For Zeus, enraptured, put forth all his powers, And caught her panting, timid, tremulous. And he with open lips voluptuous Closed her sweet mouth with kisses, and so pressed Her sobbing bosom with a manlier breast T…
…en, Like tusks ; but at the coming of the even Were visions wonderful with indigo ; And in the glory of the afterglow Were rosy with its kiss ; and in the night Were crowned with that unutterable light That is a brilliance of solemn black, Glistening wide across the ocean track Of white-sailed ships and many mariners. So, on the tallest spire, where wakes and whirrs The eagle when dawn strikes his eyrie, came The maiden, clad in the abundant flame Of setting sun, with shapely shoulders bare, And even the glory of her midday hair Was bound above…
…head quite low In the warm pillow where my head had lain, And I, as a young heifer newly slain, With soft tears wept and waited for your kiss, And knew the exquisite delight of pain Borne for loves sakeso lazily as this For ever, with your eyelids silver rain Freshing my soul with unimagined showers.
…p the spray like dew, divinely cool : A moment, and he flashed towards her side And caught her trembling, as a tender bride At the first kiss ; he caught her, and compelled Her answer, in his arms securely held. And she no word might say, her red lips quailed,
…methyst Fascinate him. Even so, the goddess cried, I will bind on thy arm the serpent bride Free from her fate, and promise by this kiss
… fire Leapt in his veins ; locked close for love they lie, The hearts dumb word exprest without a sigh In the strong magic of a lovers kiss, And the twin light of love ; but Archais Felt through her blood a sudden chill ; her face Blanched and besought a moments breathing space ; Her hearts desire welled up, and then again Whitened her cheeks with the exceeding pain Of uttermost despair. At last her strength Failed, and she flung her weary body at length Amid the bruiséd flowers ; while from her eyes Surged the salt tears ; low moans she mu…
…fines a delicious rose Lying asleep, a-dreaming, white of brow, Stainless and splendid. Yea, and fair enow To tempt the lips of Death to kiss her eyes And bid her waken in the sad surprise Of seeing round her the iron gates of hell In gloomy strength : so sweet, so terrible, So fair, her image in the brook might make A passionless old god his hunger slake By plunging in the waters, though he knew His drowning body drowned her image too. Yet she seemed gentle. Never thorn assailed The tender finger that would touch, nor failed The strong desire …