by D.H. Lawrence

    They say the sea is cold， but the sea contains

    the hottest blood of all， and the wildest， the most urgent.

    All the whales in the wider deeps， hot are they， as they urge

    on and on， and dive beneath the icebergs¹.

    The right whales， the sperm-whales， the hammer-heads， the killers²

    there they blow， there they blow， hot wild white breath out of the sea！

    And they rock， and they rock， through the sensual ageless ages

    on the depths of the seven seas，

    and through the salt they reel with drunk delight

    and in the tropics tremble they with love

    and roll with massive， strong desire， like gods.

    Then the great bull lies up against his bride

    in the blue deep bed of the sea，

    as mountain pressing on mountain， in the zest³ of life：

    and out of the inward roaring of the inner red ocean of whale-blood

    the long tip reaches strong， intense， like the maelstrom-tip， and comes to rest

    in the clasp and the soft， wild clutch of a she-whale's fathomless⁴ body.

    And over the bridge of the whale's strong phallus， linking the wonder of whales

    the burning archangels under the sea keep passing， back and forth⁵，

    keep passing， archangels of bliss⁶

    from him to her， from her to him， great Cherubim

    that wait on whales in mid-ocean， suspended in the waves of the sea

    great heaven of whales in the waters， old hierarchies⁷.

    And enormous mother whales lie dreaming suckling their whale-tender young

    and dreaming with strange whale eyes wide open in the waters of the beginning and the end.

    And bull-whales gather their women and whale-calves in a ring

    when danger threatens， on the surface of the ceaseless flood

    and range themselves like great fierce Seraphim⁸ facing the threat

    encircling their huddled⁹ monsters of love.

    And all this happens in the sea， in the salt

    where God is also love， but without words：

    and Aphrodite is the wife of whales

    most happy， happy she！

    and Venus among the fishes skips and is a she-dolphin

    she is the gay， delighted porpoise¹⁰ sporting with love and the sea

    she is the female tunny-fish， round and happy among the males

    and dense¹¹ with happy blood， dark rainbow bliss in the sea.

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