 | Marah |  |
172
SELENITES
1
Something sets trembling all the stars. A sighStirs the dark land. The moon is rising pale.
Slowly a strange procession passes by
Along the vale.
2
All women, and all beautiful, all white,All woebegone! For many a thousand years
The day has ne'er beheld them, and the night
Their presence fears.
173
3
A Seraph leads them. But of fallen state.His wings are clipp'd, yet still their size exceeds
The limbs they lift not, and their heavy weight
His pace impedes.
4
The moon alone knows what these women are.The sun was never in their secrets. They
Know not each other. But one woe they share,
One fate obey.
5
Whence come they? Whither are their footsteps bound?The Past forgets. The Future cannot tell.
They have lost their place on earth, and none have found
In Heaven or Hell.
174
6
For Heaven not good enough, for Hell too good,For life too loving, and for death too dear,
Pale ghosts of passion-wasted womanhood,
They wander here,
7
Visible only to the tear-wash'd eyesWhose vision mirrors supernatural sights.
But I, the initiated, recognize
The Selenites!
| Marah | |