Thelema ScholarTHE ALEISTER CROWLEY COLLECTION
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1912 · PDF PAGE 15

Sir Palamedes

…Severn mouth Whereon a mighty castle stands, Fronting the blue impassive South And looking over lordly lands. Oh! high above the envious sea This fortress dominates the tides ; There, ill at heart, the chivalry Of strong Sir Palamede abides. Now comes irruption from the folk That live by murder: day by day The good knight strikes his deadly stroke; The vultures claw the attended prey. But day by day the heathen hordes Gather from dreadful lands afar, A myriad myriad bows and swords, As clouds that blot the morning star. Soon by an arrow from th…

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1912 · PDF PAGE 9

Sir Palamedes

I Sir PaLaMEDE the Saracen Rode by the marge of many a sea: He had slain a thousand evil men And set a thousand ladies free. Armed to the teeth, the glittering knight Galloped along the sounding shore, His silver arms one lake of light, Their clash one symphony of war. How still the blue enamoured sea Lay in the blaze of Syria’s noon! The eternal roll eternally Beat out its monotonic tune. Sir Palamede the Saracen A dreadful vision here espied, A sight abhorred of gods and men, Between the limits of the tide. The dead man’s tongue was torn away…

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1912 · PDF PAGE 73

Sir Palamedes

XXV A SAVAGE sea without a sail, Grey gulphs and green a-glittering, Rare snow that floats—a vestal veil Upon the forehead of the spring. Here in a plunging galleon Sir Palamede, a listless drone, Drifts desperately on—and on— And on—with heart and eyes of stone. The deep-scarred brain of him is healed With wind and sea and star and sun, The assoiling grace that God revealed For gree and bounteous benison. Ah! still he trusts the recreant brain, Thrown in a thousand tourney-justs ; Still he raves on in reason-strain With senseless “oughts” and …

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1912 · PDF PAGE 102

Sir Palamedes

…e staring eyen, the haggard face! God grant to him the Beauteous Breath! God send the Goodly Gift of Grace! There is a white cave by the sea Wherein the knight is hid away. Just ere the night falls, spieth he The sun’s last shaft flicker astray. All day is dark. There, there he mourns His wasted years, his purpose faint. A million whips, a million scorns Make the knight flinch, and stain the saint. For now! what hath he left? He feeds On limpets and wild roots. What odds? There is no need a mortal needs Who hath loosed man’s hope to grasp at Go…

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1912 · PDF PAGE 11

Sir Palamedes

…r shall ply the spur Upon his proper heart and brain.” He gave the sign of malison On traitor knights and perjured men ; And ever by the sea rode on Sir Palamede the Saracen.

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1912 · PDF PAGE 6

Sir Palamedes

SIR PALAMEDES, THE SARACEN KNIGHT xxv, Upon the Pacific Ocean, he, thinking that It is not-Self, throweth himself into the sea. But the Beast setteth him ashore. xxvi. Rowed by Kanakas to Japan, he praiseth the stability of Fuji-Yama. But, an earthquake arising, the pilgrims are swallowed up. xxvii. Upon the Yang-tze-kiang he contemplateth immortal change. Yet, perceiving that the changes themselves constitute stability, he is again baulked, and biddeth his men bear him to Egypt. xxviii. In an Egyptian temple he hath performed the Bloody Sacrif…

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1912 · PDF PAGE 75

Sir Palamedes

XXVI Srr PaLaMEDE the Saracen Hath gotten him a swift canoe, Paddled by stalwart South Sea men. They cleave the oily breasts of blue, Straining toward the westering disk Of the tall sun; they battle through Those weary days; the wind is brisk; The stars are clear; the moon is high. Now, even as a white basilisk That slayeth all men with his eye, Stands up before them tapering The cone of speechless sanctity. Up, up its slopes the pilgrims swing, Chanting their pagan gramarye Unto the dread volcano-king. “ Now, then, by Goddes reed!” quod he, “ …

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1912 · PDF PAGE 33

Sir Palamedes

…any a shining blade,’ His sword lays many a flower low That glittering gladdened in the glade. He wrote himself a wanton ass, And to the sea his traces laid, Where many a wavelet on the glass His prowess knows. But deep and deep His futile feet in fury pass, 27

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1912 · PDF PAGE 18

Sir Palamedes

…rn a desperate deed. At dead of night, a moonless night, A night of winter storm, they sail In dancing dragons to the fight With man and sea, with ghoul and gale. Whom God shall spare, ride, ride! (so springs The iron order). Let him fly On honour’s steed with honour’s wings To warn the king, lest honour die! Then to the fury of the blast Their fury adds a dreadful sting : The fatal die is surely cast. To save the king—to save the king ! Hail! horror of the midnight surge ! The storms of death, the lashing gust, The doubtful gleam of swords tha…

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1912 · PDF PAGE 88

Sir Palamedes

…s face! Not here was anything of worth ; He turned his back upon the place, Sought the blue sky and the green earth, Ay! and the lustral sea to cleanse That filth that stank about his girth,

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1912 · PDF PAGE 92

Sir Palamedes

86 XXXIII Sir PALAMEDE the Saracen Hath passed unto the tideless sea, That the keen whisper of the wind May bring him that which never men Knew—on the quest, the quest, rides he! So long to seek, so far to find ! So weary was the knight, his limbs Were slack as new-slain dove’s; his knees No longer gripped the charger rude. Listless, he aches ; his purpose swims Exhausted in the oily seas Of laxity and lassitude. The soul subsides; its serious motion Still throbs ; by habit, not by will. And all his lust to win the quest Is but a passive-mild d…

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1912 · PDF PAGE 103

Sir Palamedes

… years to see, Hath wasted strength, hath wasted youth— He was the Beast; the Beast was he! He rises from the cave of death, Runs to the sea with shining face To know at last the Bounteous Breath, To taste the Goodly Gift of Grace. Ah! Palamede, thou hast mistook! Thou art the butt of all confusion! Not to be written in my book Is this most drastic disillusion! So weak and ill was he, I doubt If he might hear the royal feast Of laughter that came rolling out Afar from that elusive Beast. G 97

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1912 · PDF PAGE 109

Sir Palamedes

…n’s glance Are sweet as paramours ! Stay! is there naught some wanton wight May do to excite the glamoured knight? Yea! the song takes a sea-wild swell ; The dance moves in a mystic web; Strange lights abound and terrible; The life that flowed is out at ebb. The lights are gone; the night is come; The lads and lasses sink, awaiting Some climax—oh, how tense and dumb The expectant hush intoxicating! Hush! the heart’s beat! Across the moor Some dreadful god rides fast, be sure ! The listening Palamede bites through His thin white lips—what hoofs …

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