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Page 1 of 31901 · PDF PAGE 87
THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE CRIMSON cheeks of love’s fierce fever! O amber skin, electric to the kiss! O eyes of sin! O bosom of my bliss! Sorrow, the web, is spun of Love the weaver. Twelve moons have circled in their seasons ; The earth has swept, exultant, round the sun; Our love has slept, and, sleeping, made us one. The thirteenth moon, be sure, the time of treasons ! Another spirit waves its pinions. Love vanishes : we hate each other's sight. In sullen seas sinks our sun-flaming light, Darkness is master of the dream-dominions. Lo! in thy wo…
1901 · PDF PAGE 36
22 THE MOTHER'S TRAGEDY Me, the sole pledge of your debaucheries, You keep—your love, the 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…
1901 · PDF PAGE 19
…ver guessed my own poor silliness Until that moment when you frightened me. CORA. And now you know how dear he is to you! Come, child, I love you both. Your happiness Is my life’s purpose. I have seen the truth Of this in you; it comes to every one. I know that he is half in love with you. Look once again as you did look just now, And he would die for you. O foolish girl! [MADELINE weeps guzetly for a little, CORA caressing her. MADELINE. Please let me go: you are too kind to me! CORA. Rest, sunny head! A little while to sleep, And then—perhaps…
1901 · PDF PAGE 32
18 THE MOTHER'S TRAGEDY What shield against the lightning of his love ? (Hastily.) 1 have a husband living. ULRIC. Think you, then, I have lived so long and looked into your eves To listen to so hastily disgorged A prentice falsehood not grown journeyman ? Then, had you fifty husbands, am I one, - Reared in the faith of high philosophy, Schooled from my childhood in the brotherhood Of poets, to descend to this absurd Quibble of tedious morality ? Shame not your truth with that ignoble thought! And also—tell me, once for all, the truth! [Aztterl…
1901 · PDF PAGE 116
( 102) LOVE’S WISDOM HERE is a sense of passion after death. Passion for death, desire to kiss the scythe, All know, whose limbs in envious glory writhe, And lie exhausted, mingling happy breath. ‘‘Could I end so—this moment!” Lingereth The lazy gaze, half mournful and half blythe. But there’s another, when the body dieth— Hast thou no knowledge what the carcass saith ? I watched all night by my dead lover’s bed. I saw the spirit; heard the motionless Lips part in uttering a supreme caress: “T care not nor for life nor death;” they said, ‘““Onl…
1901 · PDF PAGE 80
( 66) THE SUMMIT OF THE AMOROUS MOUNTAIN O love you, Love, is all my happiness; To kill you with my kisses ; to devour Your whole ripe beauty in the perfect hour That mingles us in one supreme caress ; To drink the purple of your thighs; to press Your beating bosom like a living flower; To die in your embraces, in the shower That dews like death your swooning loveliness. To know you love me; that your body leaps With the quick passion of your soul; to know Your fragrant kisses sting my spirit so; To be one soul where Satan smiles and sleeps ;— …
1901 · PDF PAGE 28
…E MOTHER'S TRAGEDY Sweetheart, my passion overwhelms your soul. Your virginal sweet spirit cannot reach My fury. You are silent. Yet you love! I read it in the terror of your eyes, The crimson of your burning face. I know, I know you love me! Cora, Cora, tell me! O she will die! I would not—I was rough— My overmastering desire to you— My queen, my wife, this maddens me. CORA, recovering. 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…
1901 · PDF PAGE 100
86 THE WHORE IN HEAVEN The chill damp chapel. God denied them not One chance of sight and love: their bed begot The loveliest child angels e’er prayed above, A maiden that an anchorite would love. She grew to beauty and to thoughts divine, Yet knelt each day in prayer to such a Thing As could not (so she knew) create the vine, The air, the linnet, and the water-spring. And every week some red-nosed ranter jarred Her tender ears—(yes, life was very hard }). Then she guessed Love. A village boy she took, And drew his soul out with her amorous loo…
1901 · PDF PAGE 7
…DE THE MOTHER’s TRAGEDY THE FaTAL Force THE SUMMIT OF THE AMOROUS MOUNTAIN THE MOTHER AT THE SABBATH THE BRIDEGROOM . THE CoURSE OF TRUE LOVE MADONNA OF THE GOLDEN EYEs . CONVENTIONAL WICKEDNESS . Mors JANUA AMORIS SIDONIA THE SORCERESS THE WHORE IN HEAVEN THE LesBiaN HELL THE REAPER . . THE Lorp’s Day THE GROWTH OF Gop . Love’s WISDOM PAGE vil 30 66 67 70 73 75 79 80 84 85 9° 94 97 98 102
1901 · PDF PAGE 27
…re grown man: young men seek happiness. Is there one joy your soul hath never felt ? One pure sweet passion ? ULRIC. Sweet! you speak of love! You must have guessed I meant to question you, And smoothed the passage to my modesty. CORA, with bitter sorrow at her heart. You make me very glad. Yes, yes, indeed, , Love is my meaning. Does it shame me much To talk so openly of love to you ? But I am old enough to be—to be ULRIC. My wife! O Cora, I have loved you so! My heart is like a fountain of the sea. I burn, I tremble; in my veins there swims A…
1901 · PDF PAGE 37
…icks 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 room wildly, crying …
1901 · PDF PAGE 117
…t of mortal happiness Is born of madness and of impotence; A miserable and distorted sense, Defiant in its hatred of success. Even where love’s banners flame, and flowers bless The happy head ; all faith and hope immense Fly, for possession dwells supreme, intense ; And to possess is only—to possess. But, as the night draws snailwise to its end, And sleep invades the obstinate desire, And lovers sigh—but not for kisses’ sake— There comes this misery, as half awake I watch the embers of my passion-fire, And see love dwindled in my—call her frien…
1901 · PDF PAGE 88
74 THE COURSE OF TRUE LOVE Dislike, disgust (you say repulsers) Link me to thee despite—because of—this Skeleton key to charnel-house. My kiss Is the dog’s kiss to Lazarus his ulcers! Mock me, ye clinging lovers, at your peril! God turns to dust the blossom of your youth. The fruit of lust is poisonous with—truth! Its immortality is—to be sterile! This lie of Love hath no abiding: ‘‘Two loves are ended; one, the infant band, Rises more splendid.” Spin the rope of sand! Two loves are one; but O to their dividing! Fertility—distaste’s adoption ! …
1901 · PDF PAGE 92
78 MADONNA OF THE GOLDEN EYES Beast! I am damned in Hell for the kisses we sucked from death! Now remorse is yours, and love is fallen in dust— I shall seek Him again for its sacramental breath ! Yes, fear the gold that glitters from these eyes!” She took a dagger, and I could not stir. She pierced my silent fascinated breast. She held me with the deadly look of her. I cried to Mary in the House of Rest: ‘““O Madonna of the Virgin eyes!” I pierced him to the very soul: I took His whole life’s love to me before he died: Mad kisses mingled that e…
1901 · PDF PAGE 89
MADONNA OF THE GOLDEN EYES IGHT brings madness; moonlight dips her throat to madden us; Love’s swift purpose darts, the flash of a striking adder. Love that kills and kisses dwells above to sadden us; Dawn brings reason back and the violet eyes grow sadder. O Madonna of the Golden Eyes! Swooned the deep sunlight above the summer stream ; Droned the sleepy dragon-fly by the water-spring ; Stood we in the noontide in a misty dream, Fearful of our voiees, of some sudden thing. O Madonna of the Golden Eyes! Dared we whisper? Dared we lift our eyes …
1901 · PDF PAGE 115
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…
1901 · PDF PAGE 18
…f ! 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 our talk. MADELINE. Say on! CORA, meaningly. Much less you understand the love I bear To Ulric! MADELINE gzves a little cry. Heart of Christ! it cannot be! | CORA. No, child; I tricked you. Is your secret out ?
1901 · PDF PAGE 96
…our marriage-melody, We are careless, we Achzean Moulders of our destiny. Hell, it may be, for his playing, Renders Orpheus the decaying Love—in Hell, if Hell there be, I would seek Eurydice! If she be the demon sister Of my brain’s mysterious womb; If she brand my soul and blister Me with kisses of the tomb; If she drag me where the bistre Vaults of Hell gape wide in gloom ; Little matter! I have kissed her! Little matter! as a loom She has woven love around me, As with burning silver bound me, Held me to her scented skin For an age of deadly …
1901 · PDF PAGE 15
…o the East, and the room ts flooded with sunlight, CORA VAVASOUR (late of the Halls). ULRIC, tllegitimate son of Cora. MADELINE, girl in love with Ulric. THE SPIRIT OF TRAGEDY, as Chorus. SPIRIT OF TRAGEDY. ERE, in the home of a friend, Here, in the mist of a lie, The pageant moves on to the desolate end Under a sultry sky. Noon is upon us, and Night, Spreading her wings unto flight, Visits the lands that lie far in the West, Where the bright East is at peace on her breast: Opposite quarters unite. Soon is the nightfall of Destiny here; Nature’…
1901 · PDF PAGE 13
PROLOGUE x1 The scarlet vesture and the crimson skin! As Aphrodite 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 supp…