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- Two Loves
- Lord Alfred Douglas
- I dreamed I stood upon a little hill,
- And at my feet there lay a ground, that seemed
- Like a waste garden, flowering at its will
- With buds and blossoms. There were pools that dreamed
- Black and unruffled; there were white lilies
- A few, and crocuses, and violets
- Purple or pale, snake-like fritillaries
- Scarce seen for the rank grass, and through green nets
- Blue eyes of shy peryenche winked in the sun.
- And there were curious flowers, before unknown,
- Flowers that were stained with moonlight, or with shades
- Of Nature’s willful moods; and here a one
- That had drunk in the transitory tone
- Of one brief moment in a sunset; blades
- Of grass that in an hundred springs had been
- Slowly but exquisitely nurtured by the stars,
- And watered with the scented dew long cupped
- In lilies, that for rays of sun had seen
- Only God’s glory, for never a sunrise mars
- The luminous air of Heaven. Beyond, abrupt,
- A grey stone wall. o’ergrown with velvet moss
- Uprose; and gazing I stood long, all mazed
- To see a place so strange, so sweet, so fair.
- And as I stood and marvelled, lo! across
- The garden came a youth; one hand he raised
- To shield him from the sun, his wind-tossed hair
- Was twined with flowers, and in his hand he bore
- A purple bunch of bursting grapes, his eyes
- Were clear as crystal, naked all was he,
- White as the snow on pathless mountains frore,
- Red were his lips as red wine-spilith that dyes
- A marble floor, his brow chalcedony.
- And he came near me, with his lips uncurled
- And kind, and caught my hand and kissed my mouth,
- And gave me grapes to eat, and said, ‘Sweet friend,
- Come I will show thee shadows of the world
- And images of life. See from the South
- Comes the pale pageant that hath never an end.'
- And lo! within the garden of my dream
- I saw two walking on a shining plain
- Of golden light. The one did joyous seem
- And fair and blooming, and a sweet refrain
- Came from his lips; he sang of pretty maids
- And joyous love of comely girl and boy,
- His eyes were bright, and ‘mid the dancing blades
- Of golden grass his feet did trip for joy;
- And in his hand he held an ivory lute
- With strings of gold that were as maidens’ hair,
- And sang with voice as tuneful as a flute,
- And round his neck three chains of roses were.
- But he that was his comrade walked aside;
- He was full sad and sweet, and his large eyes
- Were strange with wondrous brightness, staring wide
- With gazing; and he sighed with many sighs
- That moved me, and his cheeks were wan and white
- Like pallid lilies, and his lips were red
- Like poppies, and his hands he clenched tight,
- And yet again unclenched, and his head
- Was wreathed with moon-flowers pale as lips of death.
- A purple robe he wore, o’erwrought in gold
- With the device of a great snake, whose breath
- Was fiery flame: which when I did behold
- I fell a-weeping, and I cried, ‘Sweet youth,
- Tell me why, sad and sighing, thou dost rove
- These pleasent realms? I pray thee speak me sooth
- What is thy name?' He said, ‘My name is Love.'
- Then straight the first did turn himself to me
- And cried, ‘He lieth, for his name is Shame,
- But I am Love, and I was wont to be
- Alone in this fair garden, till he came
- Unasked by night; I am true Love, I fill
- The hearts of boy and girl with mutual flame.'
- Then sighing, said the other, ‘Have thy will,
- I am the love that dare not speak its name.'
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