Ah, love, I dreamed of thee last night
Of strange lips kissing me
With subtle penetrating pain
(I shudder, when I think of this
A moon veil shrouded thee)
Thine eyes had in them all the light
Of the moonlight on the sea
Thine eyes are beautiful and soft
As the eye of Seraphim
Ah, limpid liquid lustrous eyes
Sad eyes half bright, half dim
Half without light, half brighter bright
Than the eyes of Seraphim
That strange magnetic glance, that gleams
From those mystic eyes of vair
That face so brilliantly pale
And yet withal so fair
Love-pale and passion-pale, and yet
So marvellously fair
That countenance corpse-like refined
And subtle coloured hair
Thy slender limbs that seem to burn
Thy vesture through with fire
That serpentine electric form
Half quivering with desire
Thy movements full of grace divine
Like the music of the lyre
(Alas! for who looks on thee
Feels new and strange desire
The serpent winds around his heart
His soul is turned to fire
As though within his veins there ran
A current of Hell fire)
I know, I know that long ago
The moon with silver feet
Crept to thy bed, close to thine head
And kissed thy forehead, sweet
Giving thy lips strange wine to drink
And alien flesh to eat
And apples culled from the Dead Sea
Which are the serpent's meat
Fruit from the tree by the Dead Sea
Whose fruit is death to eat