 | A Lost Epic and Other Poems |  |
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II.—THE PENITENT.
“For yet seven days, and I will cause it to rain upon the
earth. . . . And they went in unto Noah into the ark, two
and two of all flesh, wherein is the breath of life: . . . and
the Lord shut him in.”
God shut him in.
If some great angel came
By night or day, in wind or cloud or flame;
Or God Himself leaned out of heaven to close
The refuge of the Ark—no mortal knows.
God shut him in. The Lord God sealed his door.
By night or day, in wind or cloud or flame;
Or God Himself leaned out of heaven to close
The refuge of the Ark—no mortal knows.
Whom God shuts in is safe for evermore.
For yet seven days did God the Lord restrain
The vengeance of the deep and of the rain.
There was a noise of viols in the earth,
Eating and drinking, pomp and bridal mirth,
And violence, and cries of captives sold,
And worshippings of stone and wood and gold.
Through all the golden cities, the unholy;
Through regions of broad rivers winding slowly;
To savage mountain-gorge and far-off strand
Strange rumours spread, how forth of every land,
From under every star and cloud, there came
Innumerable creatures—wild and tame,
Known and unnamable; hordes, flocks, flights, swarms;
An endless pageant of bewildering forms
And wondrous colours; monstrous and minute;
Grotesque, ferocious, lovely; beast and brute,
Bird, reptile, insect, mollusc; life in fur
And life in feather, leather, horny bur,
And shell, and hair, and scales.
Through regions of broad rivers winding slowly;
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Strange rumours spread, how forth of every land,
From under every star and cloud, there came
Innumerable creatures—wild and tame,
Known and unnamable; hordes, flocks, flights, swarms;
An endless pageant of bewildering forms
And wondrous colours; monstrous and minute;
Grotesque, ferocious, lovely; beast and brute,
Bird, reptile, insect, mollusc; life in fur
And life in feather, leather, horny bur,
And shell, and hair, and scales.
For many days
Their myriad-marching clouded distant ways
With dust, and filled the land with hoarse wild sound.
Men marvelled; but of all not one was found
To read the portent or to heed the sign.
Their myriad-marching clouded distant ways
With dust, and filled the land with hoarse wild sound.
Men marvelled; but of all not one was found
To read the portent or to heed the sign.
But lust o' the eyes and frolic born of wine
Led forth one wanton rout to hear and see—
Princes and captains riding royally;
Lewd girls with tinkling feet and jewelled ears;
And singing-men; archers and men with spears;
And in the midst one Woman, tall and white—
Beautiful, wondrous—splendid as a light
On some black headland, when the sea-folk make
High beacons in the darkness for the sake
Of their sweet goddess-maid, the Moon.
Led forth one wanton rout to hear and see—
Princes and captains riding royally;
Lewd girls with tinkling feet and jewelled ears;
And singing-men; archers and men with spears;
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Beautiful, wondrous—splendid as a light
On some black headland, when the sea-folk make
High beacons in the darkness for the sake
Of their sweet goddess-maid, the Moon.
Behold!
This was that mightiest Harlot of the old
Corrupted earth before the great Flood came.
Enchantment fell on those who heard her name;
Her eyes made mad; the breath of her desire
Was wild as wind, inexorable as fire.
Man knew no shame who gazed upon her face.
She broke the giants in the fierce embrace
Of her white limbs, laughing for amorousness.
The young men were as grapes beneath the press;
She crushed their youth, and flung the skins away.
This was that mightiest Harlot of the old
Corrupted earth before the great Flood came.
Enchantment fell on those who heard her name;
Her eyes made mad; the breath of her desire
Was wild as wind, inexorable as fire.
Man knew no shame who gazed upon her face.
She broke the giants in the fierce embrace
Of her white limbs, laughing for amorousness.
The young men were as grapes beneath the press;
She crushed their youth, and flung the skins away.
Laughing, she came with all that lewd array,
And stared with mocking eyes upon the Ark.
Around, the ancient woods were hushed and dark.
And stared with mocking eyes upon the Ark.
The Ark was closed. No cry of beast or bird
Was heard within. No stir, no sound was heard.
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The stillness smote her heart. She called aloud
And bade them smite the Ark.
And bade them smite the Ark.
The soldier's spear
Thundered. Then all was still.
Thundered. Then all was still.
Deep awe and fear
Fell on the Woman's soul. They smote once more
And beat upon the walls and sealèd door.
But no one answered. Not a sound was heard.
The dark heavens whist. No leaf o' the forest stirred.
The Woman felt her limbs grow heavy as stone.Fell on the Woman's soul. They smote once more
And beat upon the walls and sealèd door.
But no one answered. Not a sound was heard.
The dark heavens whist. No leaf o' the forest stirred.
She bade her people leave her there alone.
She watched them go; with scared dilated eyes
She followed them beneath the lowering skies,
And saw them riding far across the land.
She turned and struck the door with trembling hand,
And listened trembling. “Man within,” she cried,
“Answer; I am alone.”
And listened trembling. “Man within,” she cried,
“Answer; I am alone.”
No voice replied.
Then plucked she from her brows the moon, and tore
Her dyed attire; and, beating on the door,
Shrieked: “Answer, answer, answer!”
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Her dyed attire; and, beating on the door,
Shrieked: “Answer, answer, answer!”
All was still.
The awful silence made her being thrill.
She gathered dust and strewed it on her hair,
And, striking hands together in despair,
Shrieked: “Speak, ere terror blabs abroad my shame,
For dread hath seized on me.”
The awful silence made her being thrill.
She gathered dust and strewed it on her hair,
And, striking hands together in despair,
Shrieked: “Speak, ere terror blabs abroad my shame,
For dread hath seized on me.”
No answer came.
Then from the Woman rose a piercing cry:
“Hear, earth; ye heavens, hearken! here am I,
The world's great Harlot, who have snared and slain
The last old giants of the seed of Cain,
And reddened all my robes with youthful blood.
And now the Lord will chase me with His flood,
And hunt me as a beast; and though He spare
The beast, will spare not me, but clutch my hair,
And slay me without mercy for my sin!
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But fear hath fallen upon me. Now I know
That anguish and unutterable woe
And sure destruction are at hand.”
No sound
Was heard, save bitter weeping on the ground,
Where, sobbing with her face among the dust,
The Harlot moaned: “The Lord is just—is just!”
Then spoke a voice, gentle, compassionate:
“Why weepest thou?”
“Because it is too late.”
“It never is too late to mourn for sin.”
“Then open.”
“Nay, the Lord hath shut me in.”
“Must I then perish?”
“Nay, thy flesh alone
Shall for thine evil in the flesh atone!”
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Eating and drinking, pomp, and bridal mirth.
But day and night the Harlot, weeping sore,
Crouched in the dust before the sealèd door.
| A Lost Epic and Other Poems | |