I
PRELUDE
Daughter of Psyche, pledge of that last night
When, pierced with pain and bitter-sweet delight,
She knew her Love and saw her Lord depart,
Then breathed her wonder and her woe forlorn
Into a single cry, and thou wast born?
Thou flower of rapture and thou fruit of grief;
......
Jupiter Mars P Moon
VENEZIA, "May" 19"th", 1910.
Jupiter's foursquare blaze of gold and blue
Rides on the moon, a lilac conch of pearl,
As if the dread god, charioted anew
Came conquering, his amazing disk awhirl
To war down all the stars. I see him through
The hair of this mine own Italian girl,
Adela
That bends her face on mine in the gondola!
......
You are going to ask: and where are the lilacs?
and the poppy-petalled metaphysics?
and the rain repeatedly spattering
its words and drilling them full
of apertures and birds?
I'll tell you all the news.
I lived in a suburb,
a suburb of Madrid, with bells,
and clocks, and trees.
......
I MADE my song a coat
Covered with embroideries
Out of old mythologies
From heel to throat;
But the fools caught it,
Wore it in the world's eyes
As though they'd wrought it.
Song, let them take it,
For there's more enterprise
In walking naked.
......
JANUARY
HAIL, January, that bearest here
On snowbright breasts the babe-faced year
That weeps and trembles to be born.
Hail, maid and mother, strong and bright,
Hooded and cloaked and shod with white,
Whose eyes are stars that match the morn.
Thy forehead braves the storm's bent bow,
Thy feet enkindle stars of snow.
......
Tanagers in green trees, swinging,
Scarlet night of pearl moon, singing,
A day's come of age, romance peak,
Kitty roams the wall, dark mystique,
Blooms lustrous, radiance clinging!
It was jazzy June and green butterflies, filled the air with magic.
Then butterscotch days were long, until the purple sunset panic.
Sunny June, when music festivals, were staged in shady parks;
While in treetops purple martins, warbled their musical remarks.
Late springtime everywhere, and sandy beaches were crowded;
And it seemed such a long spell, since skies had been clouded!
In the dreamy season of youth, blossoms preened everywhere,
......
glowing fragrant June
so lustrous on black waters
rare are golden nights
most green croaking frogs
slow fireflies at hide and seek
treetop lullabies
sweet summer midnight
in dreams I feel moon's caress
......
Pink skies will turn shimmery blue,
And reveal where the redbird flew,
As sunbeams sparkle on silvery dew,
At the golden rosy dawn, fully new!
Exotic birds will all sing in tune,
As butterflies seek the blooms of June,
And we'll make plans for the afternoon,
On the other side of alabaster moon!
My window-pane is starred with frost,
The world is bitter cold to-night,
The moon is cruel, and the wind
Is like a two-edged sword to smite.
God pity all the homeless ones,
The beggars pacing to and fro.
God pity all the poor to-night
Who walk the lamp-lit streets of snow.
......