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