Athanasia

　　To that gaunt House of Art which lacks for naught¹

　　Of all the great things men have saved from Time，

　　The withered² body of a girl was brought

　　Dead ere the world's glad youth had touched its prime，

　　And seen by lonely Arabs lying hid

　　In the dim womb of some black pyramid.

　　But when they had unloosed the linen³ band

　　Which swathed the Egyptian's body， - lo！ was found

　　Closed in the wasted hollow of her hand

　　A little seed， which sown in English ground

　　Did wondrous⁴ snow of starry⁵ blossoms bear

　　And spread rich odours through our spring-tide air.

　　With such strange arts this flower did allure⁶

　　That all forgotten was the asphodel，

　　And the brown bee， the lily's paramour，

　　Forsook⁷ the cup where he was wont⁸ to dwell，

　　For not a thing of earth it seemed to be，

　　But stolen from some heavenly Arcady.

　　In vain the sad narcissus， wan⁹ and white

　　At its own beauty， hung across the stream，

　　The purple dragon-fly had no delight

　　With its gold dust to make his wings a-gleam，

　　Ah！ no delight the jasmine-bloom to kiss，

　　Or brush the rain-pearls from the eucharis.

　　For love of it the passionate¹⁰ nightingale

　　Forgot the hills of Thrace， the cruel king，

　　And the pale dove no longer cared to sail

　　Through the wet woods at time of blossoming，

　　But round this flower of Egypt sought to float，

　　With silvered wing and amethystine¹² throat.

　　While the hot sun blazed in his tower of blue

　　A cooling wind crept from the land of snows，

　　And the warm south with tender tears of dew

　　Drenched¹³ its white leaves when Hesperos up-rose

　　Amid those sea-green meadows of the sky

　　On which the scarlet¹⁴ bars of sunset lie.

　　But when o'er wastes of lily-haunted field

　　The tired birds had stayed their amorous¹⁵ tune¹⁶，

　　And broad and glittering like an argent shield

　　High in the sapphire¹⁷ heavens hung the moon，

　　Did no strange dream or evil memory make

　　Each tremulous petal¹⁸ of its blossoms shake？

　　Ah no！ to this bright flower a thousand years

　　Seemed but the lingering of a summer's day，

　　It never knew the tide of cankering fears

　　Which turn a boy's gold hair to withered grey，

　　The dread¹⁹ desire of death it never knew，

　　Or how all folk that they were born must rue¹¹.

　　For we to death with pipe and dancing go，

　　Nor would we pass the ivory gate again，

　　As some sad river wearied of its flow

　　Through the dull plains， the haunts of common men，

　　Leaps lover-like into the terrible sea！

　　And counts it gain to die so gloriously.

　　We mar²⁰ our lordly strength in barren strife²¹

　　With the world's legions led by clamorous²² care，

　　It never feels decay but gathers life

　　From the pure sunlight and the supreme²³ air，

　　We live beneath Time's wasting sovereignty，

　　It is the child of all eternity²⁴.

 

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