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- 4
- u80ici1.11hII
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- 1. O my God! use Thou me again, alway. For ever! For ever!
-
- 2. That which came fire from Thee cometh water from me; let therefore Thy
- Spirit lay hold on me, so that my right hand loose the lightning.
-
- 3. Travelling through space, I saw the onrush of two galaxies, butting each
- other and goring like bulls upon earth. I was afraid.
-
- 4. Thus they ceased fight, and turned upon me, and I was sorely crushed and
- torn.
-
- 5. I had rather have been trampled by the World-Elephant.
-
- 6. O my God! Thou art my little pet tortoise!
-
- 7. Yet Thou sustainest the World-Elephant.
-
- 8. I creep under Thy carapace, like a lover into the bed of his beautiful;
- I creep in, and sit in Thine heart, as cubby and cosy as may be.
-
- 9. Thou shelterest me, that I hear not the trumpeting of that World-
- Elephant.
-
- 10. Thou art not worth an obol in the agora; yet Thou art not to be bought at
- the ransom of the whole Universe.
-
- 11. Thou art like a beautiful Nubian slave leaning her naked purple against
- the green pillars of marble that are above the bath.
-
- 12. Wine jets from her black nipples.
-
- 13. I drank wine awhile agone in the house of Pertinax. The cup-boy favoured
- me, and gave me of the right sweet Chian.
-
- 14. There was a Doric boy, skilled in feats of strength, an athlete. The
- full moon fled away angrily down the wrack.
-
- Ah! but we laughed.
-
- 15. I was pernicious drunk, O my God! Yet Pertinax brought me to the bridal.
-
- 16. I had a crown of thorns for all my dower.
-
- 17. Thou art like a goat's horn from Astor, O Thou God of mine, gnarl'd and
- crook'd and devilish strong.
-
- 18. Colder than all the ice of all the glaciers of the Naked Mountain was the
- wine it poured for me.
-
- 19. A wild country and a waning moon.
-
- Clouds scudding over the sky.
- A circuit of pines, and of tall yews beyond. Thou in the midst!
-
- 20. O all ye toads and cats, rejoice! Ye slimy things, come hither!
-
- 21. Dance, dance to the Lord our God!
-
- 22. He is he! He is he! He is he!
-
- 23. Why should I go on?
-
- 24. Why? Why? comes the sudden cackle of a million imps of hell.
-
- 25. And the laughter runs.
-
- 26. But sickens not the Universe; but shakes not the stars.
-
- 27. God! how I love Thee!
-
- 28. I am walking in an asylum; all the men and women about me are insane.
-
- 29. Oh madness! madness! madness! desirable art thou!
-
- 30. But I love Thee, O God!
-
- 31. These men and women rave and howl; they froth out folly.
-
- 32. I begin to be afraid. I have no check; I am alone. Alone. Alone.
-
- 33. Think, O God, how I am happy in Thy love.
-
- 34. O marble Pan! O false leering face! I love Thy dark kisses, bloody and
- stinking! O marble Pan! Thy kisses are like sunlight on the blue aegean;
- their blood is the blood of the sunset over Athens; their stink is like a
- garden of Roses of Macedonia.
-
- 35. I dreamt of sunset and roses and vines; Thou wast there, O my God, Thou
- didst habit Thyself as an Athenian courtesan, and I loved Thee.
-
- 36. Thou art no dream, O Thou too beautiful alike for sleep and waking!
-
- 37. I disperse the insane folk of the earth; I walk alone with my little
- puppets in the garden.
-
- 38. I am Gargantuan great; yon galaxy is but the smoke-ring of mine incense.
-
- 39. Burn Thou strange herbs, O God!
-
- 40. Brew me a magic liquor, boys, with your glances!
-
- 41. The very soul is drunken.
-
- 42. Thou art drunken, O my God, upon my kisses.
-
- 43. The Universe reels; Thou hast looked upon it.
-
- 44. Twice, and all is done.
-
- 45. Come, O my God, and let us embrace!
- 46. Lazily, hungrily, ardently, patiently; so will I work.
-
- 47. There shall be an End.
-
- 48. O God! O God!
-
- 49. I am a fool to love Thee; Thou art cruel, Thou withholdest Thyself.
-
- 50. Come to me now! I love Thee! I love Thee!
-
- 51. O my darling, my darling Kiss me! Kiss me! Ah! but again.
-
- 52. Sleep, take me! Death, take me! This life is too full; it pains, it
- slays, it suffices.
-
- 53. Let me go back into the world; yea, back into the world.
-