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W
ind round his head the
figured coins ! stain with redfruits those pallid lips !
W
eave purple for his
shrunken hips ! and purple for hisbarren loins !
the sphinx
A
way to egypt ! have no
fear. only one god has everdied .
O
nly one god
has let hisside be wounded by a soldier’s
spear .
B
ut these, thy lovers, are
not dead. still by thehundred-cubit gate
D
og-faced anubis sits in
state with lotus-lilies forthy head .
S
till from his chair of
porphyry gaunt memnon strainshis lidless eyes
A
cross the empty land, and
cries each yellow morningunto thee .
the sphinx
A
nd nilus with his broken
horn lies in his black andoozy bed
A
nd till thy
coming willnot spread his waters on the
withering corn .
Y
our lovers are not dead,
i know. they will rise up andhear your voice
A
nd
clash their cymbalsand rejoice and run to kiss
your mouth ! and so ,
S
et wings upon your
argosies ! set horses to your eboncar !
B
ack to your
nile ! or ifyou are grown sick of deaddivinities
F
ollow some roving lion’s
spoor across the copper-coloured plain ,
R
each
out and hale him bythe mane and bid him be your
paramour !
C
ouch by his side upon the
grass and set your whiteteeth in his throat
A
nd when you hear his
dying note lash your long flanksof polished brass
A
nd take a tiger for your
mate, whose amber sides areflecked with black ,
A
nd ride upon his gilded
back in triumph through thetheban gate ,
A
nd toy with him in
amorous jests, and when he turns,and snarls, and gnaws ,
O
smite him with your
jasper claws ! and bruise himwith your agate breasts !
the sphinx
W
hy are you tarrying ? get
hence ! i weary of yoursullen ways ,
I
weary
of your steadfastgaze, your somnolent
magnificence .
Y
our horrible and heavy
breath makes the light flickerin the lamp ,
A
nd on
my brow i feel thedamp and dreadful dews of
night and death .
Y
our eyes are like
fantastic moons that shiver in somestagnant lake ,
Y
our
tongue is like ascarlet snake that dances to
fantastic tunes ,
Y
our pulse makes poisonous
melodies, and your blackthroat is like the hole
L
eft by some torch or
burning coal on saracenictapestries .
A
way ! the sulphur-
coloured stars are hurrying throughthe western gate !
A
way ! or it may be too
late to climb their silentsilver cars !
S
ee, the dawn shivers
round the grey gilt-dialledtowers, and the rain
S
treams down each
diamonded pane and blurs with tearsthe wannish day .
W
hat snake-tressed fury
fresh from hell, with uncouthgestures and unclean ,
S
tole from the poppy-
drowsy queen and led you to astudent’s cell ?
W
hat songless tongueless
ghost of sin crept through thecurtains of the night ,
A
nd saw my taper burning
bright, and knocked, and badeyou enter in .
A
re there not others more
accursed, whiter withleprosies than i ?
A
re abana and pharphar dry
that you come here to slakeyour thirst ?
the sphinx
G
et hence, you loathsome
mystery ! hideous animal, gethence !
Y
ou wake in
me eachbestial sense, you make me what i
would not be .
Y
ou make my creed a barren
sham, you wake foul dreamsof sensual life ,
A
nd
atys with his blood-stained knife were better than
the thing i am .
the sphinx
F
alse sphinx ! false
sphinx ! by reedy styx old charon,leaning on his oar ,
W
aits for my coin. go thou
before, and leave me to mycrucifix ,
W
hose pallid burden, sick
with pain, watches the worldwith wearied eyes ,
A
nd weeps for every soul
that dies, and weeps for everysoul in vain .
Ballantyne
Press
London&Edinburgh
UNIVERSITY OF VIRGINIA
LIBRARY
SPECIAL COLLECTIONS
PR
5820
.S6
1894
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