XII.
SAPPHO:
On the Leucadian Rock.
1
O sweet, sweet, sweet!
While the Moon, with her dove's eyes fair,
And her beautiful yellow hair,
And the Sea-Snake coiling round her silvern feet,
Walk'd dumbly up above in the jewell'd air
Waving her luminous wings,
To sit upon this crag above the sea
Clasp'd close, so close, to thee,
Pale with much yearning, while the murmurings
Of the great waters seem'd to waft to me
The name of Phaon,
To whisper Phaon, Phaon,
Phaon, Phaon, Phaon, with deep intonin,
Hushfully, hushfully moaning!
2
O bliss, bliss, bliss!
Though the Moon look'd pale in the sky,
On thy passionate heart to lie,
To cling to thy burning lips with kiss on kiss,
Faintly watching the butterfly stars swim by
In the track of that queenly Moon;
And in a dream, clasp'd close, so close, to thee,
To list and seem to be
A portion of the faint monotonous tune
Made for its mistress by the serpent sea,
That whisper'd Phaon,
Phaon, Phaon, Phaon,
Phaon, Phaon, Phaon, while Dian darkening
Stoop'd hushfully, hushfully, harkening!
3
O pain, pain, pain!
While the Moon, in a sky as clear
As of old, walks on, and I hear
Her palpitating foot on the living main,
While, under her feet, the green sea-snake creeps near
Hissing with scales that gleam,
To stand upon this crag beside the sea
And dream, and dream, of thee—
With clench'd white hands, set teeth, and robes that stream
Behind me in the wind, while audibly
The waves moan Phaon,
Shriek Phaon, Phaon, Phaon,
Phaon, Phaon, Phaon, with deep intoning,
Mournfully, mournfully, moaning!
4
O rest, rest, rest!—
While the Moon with her virgin light
Thro' eternities of night
Dumbly paces on to the east from the west,—
To mingle with the waves that under the height
Murmur along the shore,
To mix my virgin love, my agony,
Into the serpent sea
That Dian seeks to silence evermore,
To cling to those white skirts and moan of thee,
O Phaon, Phaon,
Restless for love of Phaon,
Phaon, Phaon, Phaon, with ceaseless motion
Soothed by the soother of Ocean!
