Poems & Ballads Volume I Part 31

In the beginning G.o.d made thee A woman well to look upon, Thy tender body as a tree Whereon cool wind hath always blown Till the clean branches be well grown.

There was none like thee in the land; The girls that were thy bondwomen Did bind thee with a purple band Upon thy forehead, that all men Should know thee for G.o.d's handmaiden.

Strange raiment clad thee like a bride, With silk to wear on hands and feet And plates of gold on either side: Wine made thee glad, and thou didst eat Honey, and choice of pleasant meat.

And fishers in the middle sea Did get thee sea-fish and sea-weeds In colour like the robes on thee; And curious work of plaited reeds, And wools wherein live purple bleeds.

And round the edges of thy cup Men wrought thee marvels out of gold, Strong snakes with lean throats lifted up, Large eyes whereon the brows had hold, And scaly things their slime kept cold.

For thee they blew soft wind in flutes And ground sweet roots for cunning scent; Made slow because of many lutes, The wind among thy chambers went Wherein no light was violent.

G.o.d called thy name Aholibah, His tabernacle being in thee, A witness through waste Asia; Thou wert a tent sewn cunningly With gold and colours of the sea.

G.o.d gave thee gracious ministers And all their work who plait and weave: The cunning of embroiderers That sew the pillow to the sleeve, And likeness of all things that live.

Thy garments upon thee were fair With scarlet and with yellow thread; Also the weaving of thine hair Was as fine gold upon thy head, And thy silk shoes were sewn with red.

All sweet things he bade sift, and ground As a man grindeth wheat in mills With strong wheels alway going round; He gave thee corn, and gra.s.s that fills The cattle on a thousand hills.

The wine of many seasons fed Thy mouth, and made it fair and clean; Sweet oil was poured out on thy head And ran down like cool rain between The strait close locks it melted in.

The strong men and the captains knew Thy chambers wrought and fas.h.i.+oned With gold and covering of blue, And the blue raiment of thine head Who satest on a stately bed.

All these had on their garments wrought The shape of beasts and creeping things, The body that availeth not, Flat backs of worms and veind wings, And the lewd bulk that sleeps and stings.

Also the chosen of the years, The mult.i.tude being at ease, With sackbuts and with dulcimers And noise of shawms and psalteries Made mirth within the ears of these.

But as a common woman doth, Thou didst think evil and devise; The sweet smell of thy breast and mouth Thou madest as the harlot's wise, And there was painting on thine eyes.

Yea, in the woven guest-chamber And by the painted pa.s.sages Where the strange gracious paintings were, State upon state of companies, There came on thee the l.u.s.t of these.

Because of shapes on either wall Sea-coloured from some rare blue sh.e.l.l At many a Tyrian interval, Hors.e.m.e.n on horses, girdled well, Delicate and desirable,

Thou saidest: I am sick of love: Stay me with flagons, comfort me With apples for my pain thereof Till my hands gather in his tree That fruit wherein my lips would be.

Yea, saidest thou, I will go up When there is no more shade than one May cover with a hollow cup, And make my bed against the sun Till my blood's violence be done.

Thy mouth was leant upon the wall Against the painted mouth, thy chin Touched the hair's painted curve and fall; Thy deep throat, fallen lax and thin, Worked as the blood's beat worked therein.

Therefore, O thou Aholibah, G.o.d is not glad because of thee; And thy fine gold shall pa.s.s away Like those fair coins of ore that be Washed over by the middle sea.

Then will one make thy body bare To strip it of all gracious things, And pluck the cover from thine hair, And break the gift of many kings, Thy wrist-rings and thine ankle-rings.

Likewise the man whose body joins To thy smooth body, as was said, Who hath a girdle on his loins And dyed attire upon his head-- The same who, seeing, wors.h.i.+pped,

Because thy face was like the face Of a clean maiden that smells sweet, Because thy gait was as the pace Of one that opens not her feet And is not heard within the street--

Even he, O thou Aholibah, Made separate from thy desire, Shall cut thy nose and ears away And bruise thee for thy body's hire And burn the residue with fire.

Then shall the heathen people say, The mult.i.tude being at ease; Lo, this is that Aholibah Whose name was blown among strange seas.

Grown old with soft adulteries.

Also her bed was made of green, Her windows beautiful for gla.s.s That she had made her bed between: Yea, for pure l.u.s.t her body was Made like white summer-coloured gra.s.s.

Her raiment was a strong man's spoil; Upon a table by a bed She set mine incense and mine oil To be the beauty of her head In chambers walled about with red.

Also between the walls she had Fair faces of strong men portrayed; All girded round the loins, and clad With several cloths of woven braid And garments marvellously made.

Therefore the wrath of G.o.d shall be Set as a watch upon her way; And whoso findeth by the sea Blown dust of bones will hardly say If this were that Aholibah.

LOVE AND SLEEP

Lying asleep between the strokes of night I saw my love lean over my sad bed, Pale as the duskiest lily's leaf or head, Smooth-skinned and dark, with bare throat made to bite, Too wan for blus.h.i.+ng and too warm for white, But perfect-coloured without white or red.

And her lips opened amorously, and said-- I wist not what, saving one word--Delight.

And all her face was honey to my mouth, And all her body pasture to mine eyes; The long lithe arms and hotter hands than fire, The quivering flanks, hair smelling of the south, The bright light feet, the splendid supple thighs And glittering eyelids of my soul's desire.

MADONNA MIA

Under green apple-boughs That never a storm will rouse, My lady hath her house Between two bowers; In either of the twain Red roses full of rain; She hath for bondwomen All kind of flowers.

She hath no handmaid fair To draw her curled gold hair Through rings of gold that bear Her whole hair's weight; She hath no maids to stand Gold-clothed on either hand; In all the great green land None is so great.

She hath no more to wear But one white hood of vair Drawn over eyes and hair, Wrought with strange gold, Made for some great queen's head, Some fair great queen since dead; And one strait gown of red Against the cold.

Beneath her eyelids deep Love lying seems asleep, Love, swift to wake, to weep, To laugh, to gaze; Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s are like white birds, And all her gracious words As water-gra.s.s to herds In the June-days.

To her all dews that fall And rains are musical; Her flowers are fed from all, Her joy from these; In the deep-feathered firs Their gift of joy is hers, In the least breath that stirs Across the trees.

She grows with greenest leaves, Ripens with reddest sheaves, Forgets, remembers, grieves, And is not sad; The quiet lands and skies Leave light upon her eyes; None knows her, weak or wise, Or tired or glad.

None knows, none understands, What flowers are like her hands; Though you should search all lands Wherein time grows, What snows are like her feet, Though his eyes burn with heat Through gazing on my sweet, Yet no man knows.

Only this thing is said; That white and gold and red, G.o.d's three chief words, man's bread And oil and wine, Were given her for dowers, And kingdom of all hours, And grace of goodly flowers And various vine.

This is my lady's praise: G.o.d after many days Wrought her in unknown ways, In sunset lands; This was my lady's birth; G.o.d gave her might and mirth And laid his whole sweet earth Between her hands.

Under deep apple-boughs My lady hath her house; She wears upon her brows The flower thereof; All saying but what G.o.d saith To her is as vain breath; She is more strong than death, Being strong as love.