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1901 · PDF PAGE 70

The Mother’s Tragedy

56 THE FATAL FORCE RATOUM. I have loved thee ever, I have made thee god. PACHAD. I hate myself, and therefore I hate thee. RATOUM. I am still goddess, still desire thy love. That leper lies: thou art indeed a god. PACHAD. I am a god to execute my will. [ Threatens her with his dagger. RATOUM. Mercy! Thou canst not strike a woman down! PACHAD. So! The thin casing of the godhead rots, Mere mummy-cloth: the rotten corpse within, Dust and corruption! I am still the god, And gods slay women: therefore I slay thee. RATOUM. Then thou shalt see me once…

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1901 · PDF PAGE 114

The Mother’s Tragedy

100 THE GROWTH OF GOD Thus, till the monster-birth of serpent-man Linked in corruption with the serpent-woman, Slavering in lust and pain—creation’s ban. The horrible beginning of the human. The savage monkey leaping on his mate; The upright posture for sure murder taken ; The gibberings modified to spit out hate. Struggle to manhood—surely God-forsaken. The bestial cause of Morals—fear and hate. At last the anguish-vomit of despair, The growth of reason—and its pangs abate No whit: the knife replaces the arm bare. Fear grows, and torment; and …

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1901 · PDF PAGE 83

The Mother’s Tragedy

THE MOTHER AT THE SABBATH — 69 Fall down, my baby; worship him with me. There, go; I give you to his monster kisses! Take her, my God, my God, my infamy, My love, my master! take the fruit of me! —Shrieks every soul and every demon hisses ! Out! out! the ghastly torches of the feast! Let darkness hide us and the night discover The shameless mysteries of God grown beast, The nameless blasphemy, the sliméd East— Sin incarnated with a leprous lover! “Hoc est enim ”’—the victim! ah! my womb, My womb has borne the victim! Now I queen it To-night upo…

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1901 · PDF PAGE 51

The Mother’s Tragedy

THE FATAL FORCE 37 PACHAD. I have heard you as a god Immutable. CHORUS. Thou art as proud and calm As statued Memnon. Thou art more than god And less than man. Thine eyelids tremble not. PACHAD. I shall avenge it as a god. The land Shall be made free. AMENHATEP. And the old gods have sway, Re-born from incorruption. PACHAD. The old gods! - I must muse deeply. Keep your ancient ways A little. I must play the part through so. CHORUS. In the ways of the North and the South, Whence the dark and the dayspring are drawn, We pass with the song of the …

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1901 · PDF PAGE 115

The Mother’s Tragedy

THE GROWTH OF GOD 10! A God of Mercy, Happiness, and Love; Reverses life and fact: and so believes. So man grew up and so religion grew. Now when the zons grow to millionfold, Hath earth one mystery, one glory new ? Are not these thoughts immeasurably old ? Only—day breaks as I am musing sadly; The phantoms scatter—is not earth divine ? I leap to saddle; gallop forward madly Into the morning strong and keen as wine. The gold air whistles and the glad horse thunders, Spurning the quiet woodland: now the light Stirs bird and beast—a thousand glow…

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1901 · PDF PAGE 59

The Mother’s Tragedy

…fruit Of what strange poisons? But in mine own self I am the king and chief of all the priests; And thou, in thine own eyes, art a young god, Strong, beautiful, and lithe, a leaping fawn Upon the mountains. PACHAD. Yea, I am a god. I am fire against the fountain of my birth, The storm upon the earth that nurtured me! Leave me: we twain have no more words to speak. THE LEPER. Neither in heaven nor in hell. I go, The dead king, worshipping the living man. [/xiz. PACHAD. I have been a god so long, my thoughts run halt From many contemplations. Lik…

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1901 · PDF PAGE 37

The Mother’s Tragedy

…barricades, [He picks up his mother’s Bible, tears it, and casts tt into the fire. And swear before the Spirit of the World, In sight of God, this day: I love you still With carnal love and spiritual love! And I will have you, by the living God, To be my mistress. If I fail in this, Or falter in this counsel of despair, May God’s own curses dog me into hell, And mine own life perpetuate itself Through all the ages of eternity. Amen! Amen! Come, Cora, to my heart! [He stoops to embrace her. Horror and madness catch him, and he runs about the roo…

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1901 · PDF PAGE 45

The Mother’s Tragedy

…corners; yea, some fire Malignant, terrible—nay, pitiable, Thou poor fool stricken with senility, How spurred to passion? Yet behold thy god, Horus, lest anger take benignancy From his left hand and smite thee with his strength. Thou hearest? Nay, thou pitiful old man, For I have loved thee. Yet my godhead must Get worship. Anger not the god, but stoop, My faithful priest, and worship at my feet. AMENHATEP. I am most miserable. But truth must leap In this tremendous moment from my lips, Its long-shut barrier. For I pity thee With my old heart’s…

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1901 · PDF PAGE 71

The Mother’s Tragedy

THE FATAL FORCE 57 THE LEPER. It is finished! The sacrament is made! The god Has flamed within the altar-cake: 'tis done! [Szlence: presently the leper breaks into a hor- rible, silent, smooth laughter. Again silence. PACHAD. I am done with godhead: let me be a man. CHORUS. Hail, Pachad, king of Egypt and the Nile! Hail, Pachad, Lord of the two lands, all hail ! PACHAD. King of himself and lord of life and death, No lesser throne! I have borne me as a god, Avenging on my nearest blood the sin That brought me shameful to the shameless light. I h…

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1901 · PDF PAGE 82

The Mother’s Tragedy

…east and worm and crab: the uncouth sound Of the unheard-of kisses: the profound Gasps of the maniac, the devouring pleasure! A curse of God is on them !—ha! the curse, The curse that locks them in obscene embraces! See how love mocks the melancholy hearse Dressed as an altar: is she nun or nurse, The priestess chosen of the half-formed faces ? Abbess, sweet child of the unsullied eyes! Why? To blaspheme! Sweet child, the dance grows madder. O I am faint with pleasure! Ah! be wise; One measure more, and then—the sacrifice ? What victim ? Guess—…

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1901 · PDF PAGE 107

The Mother’s Tragedy

THE LESBIAN HELL 93 Cling to the white and bloody feet that hang, And drink the purple of a God’s pure side; With your wild hair assuage His deadliest pang, And on His broken bosom still abide His virginal white bride. So, in the dawn of skies unseen above, Your passion’s fiercest flakes shall catch new gold, The sun of an immeasurable love More beautiful shall touch the chaos cold Of earth that is grown old. Then, shameful sisterhood of earth’s disdain, Your lips shall speak your hearts, and understand; Your lovers shall assuage the amorous pa…

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1901 · PDF PAGE 119

The Mother’s Tragedy

…also knew the immedicable need. She sighed, and laughed, and died. How loves exceed In that strange fact! Yet robbed (you say) are we Of God’s own purpose of fecundity. Exactly! You have read the golden rede. That is the pity of all things on earth: _ That all must have its consequence again. Life ends in death and loving ends in birth. All’s made for pleasure: man’s device is pain. And in that pain and barrenness men find Triumph on God; and the glory of the mind.

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1901 · PDF PAGE 36

The Mother’s Tragedy

…mere maternity You share with swine and cattle! All your care Is duty: let the harlot cleanse herself— Tardy repentance !—In the name of God! Worse, you have lied, and built me up a house Of trust in you as being truth and love, - Who are in truth all lies, all treachery! You made me love you as an honest man ! You watched this passion, this intolerable Desire, this flame of hell; you fed it full, Sunned it and watered—O my brain will snap !— Only to blast it. Take your story back ; Be what you will except that infamous! For as my mother—I shou…

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1901 · PDF PAGE 48

The Mother’s Tragedy

…n And sit beside me, equal to thy queen. For look ye to the burning south, and see The Sun grown amorous, and behold his fire Leap to my godhead. For without a man I single, I the mother, have conceived Of my own loins, and made me no less god Than all your gods! Ye people and ye priests, Behold the burden of my life, and fear, And know me Isis. Worship me, and praise The goodliest ruler of the world, the queen Of all the white immeasurable seas, And that vast river of our sowing-time, And of your Sun. Behold me made a god Of my own godhead, an…

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1901 · PDF PAGE 46

The Mother’s Tragedy

…command you, speak! AMENHATEP. The burden of the madness of the Queen Lies on the land: the Syrian is near ; And she, believing that her godhead guards Her people, sleeps. The altars are thrown down ; The people murmur. She hath done thee wrong, But be thou mighty to avenge! PACHAD. To-day I, Horus, am to grow Osiris. Yea, Strange secret dreams of some mysterious fate Godlike have come upon me, and the throne Totters for your disloyalty. AMENHATEP. Beware ! How died thy father ? PACHAD. That amazing god Incarnate in him chose a nobler form, And…

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1901 · PDF PAGE 18

The Mother’s Tragedy

…cial care for you, And given of her beauty and her peace A special dower. Your thoughts are ever pure; Your soul in sweet communion with God! Why, you are crying ? CORA. You say this to me? O could you look within a magic glass, Holding my hand, such sights would come to you Beyond your knowledge—aye, beyond belief ! I am no saintly virgin wrapped in prayer, Nor is my life one river of clear water Drawn from the wells of God. You foolish child! My love for you you cannot understand, Nor the low motive—you have shown it me— Of this beginning of …

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1901 · PDF PAGE 13

The Mother’s Tragedy

…ite clove, The foam, incarnate Love, Maiden, as light leaps the dawn-gardens in, So in the Love and Light, Life slain, yet infinite, The God-Man’s night, Leaps pure the Soul rearisen from the embrace of Sin. | Yet, in the terror of that Breast, abides So sweet and deadly a device, a lure Deep in the blood and poison of her sides, Swart, lean, and leprous, that her stings endure. Even the soul of grace Abideth not her face Without vague longing, infinite desire, Stronger because suppressed, Unto the wide black breast, The lips incarnate of blood…

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1901 · PDF PAGE 105

The Mother’s Tragedy

…my eyes Are moist because their passion was so fair, So pure and comely that no sacrifice Seems to waft up a sweeter savour there, Where God’s grave ear takes prayer. O desecrated lovers! O divine Passionate martyrs, virgin unto death! O kissing daughters of the unfed brine! O sisters of the west wind’s pitiful breath, There is One that pitieth! One far above the heavens crowned alone, Immitigable, intangible, a maid, Incomprehensible, divine, unknown, Who loves your love, and to high God hath said: ‘To me these songs are made!”

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1901 · PDF PAGE 60

The Mother’s Tragedy

…nchable dead lustrous eyes Toward impossible things grown possible In Egypt. I will cleanse the land of this. Let me remember I am yet a god! Re-enter LEPER. THE LEPER. Thou must be brought before her presently Borne in a coffin. See thou fill it not, But take the lion’s mask and play his part Before the throne. Be ready, and be strong. PACHAD. I shall do so. Come, let us go together In hateful love and sacrilegious hate, Disease and godhead. I am still the god. [ Exeunt. Enter RATOUM. RATOUM. I stood upon the desert, and my eyes Beheld the spl…

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1901 · PDF PAGE 28

The Mother’s Tragedy

…ecovering. You fool! You beast! I hate you for your stupid self! I am defiled! Go! Touch me not! Speak not! I am accursed of the Lord my God. [Shrieks. ULRIC. Darling! my darling! How have I done this? CORA. Fool! It is madness! Yes, and punishment. O God, that all my love should come to this! You, you are mad! _ I speak of love, and you, You—you are acting! I was taken in! Let’s laugh about it! [Zrzes to laugh, sinks back. It was not well done. [ULRIC zs selent, and, puzzled, waits for her to £0 ON. Surely you knew that it was Madeline! ULRIC.…

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