XXVI

The half-moon westers low, my love,
And the wind brings up the rain;
And wide apart lie we, my love,
And seas between the twain.

I know not if it rains, my love,
In the land where you do lie;
And oh, so sound you sleep, my love,
You know no more than I.

VERSE 1 HE :

Dozens of girls would storm up;
I had to lock my door.
Somehow I couldn't warm up
To one before.
What was it that controlled me?
What kept my love life lean?
My intuition told me
You'd come on the scene.
Lady, listen to the rhythm of my heartbeat,
And you'll get just what I mean.

REFRAIN 1

Embrace me,
My sweet embraceable you.
Embrace me,
You irreplaceable you.
Just one look at you — my heart grew tipsy in me;

Your love lurks in my veins like a bandit
Commits arson, shatters lanterns
And skulks in the corners of my veins
Like a wild cat with sharp claws
Alert to hunt moths
To pounce on birds
And I lie awake at night waiting for it to come forth
From my blood.

You came with your conquering army, and caused an upheaval
That changed my life
You sequestered all my possessions
Bound me with chains of gold
And put me under house arrest
Within the limits of your eyes
You locked me in the cell of love
And took the keys away with you.

Young men and maids, pray tell your age,
I'll tell you of a sweet one.
She is the darling of my heart,
She is the most complete one.
Me and my love lay down one night.
All on a bed together;
When I woke up, my love was gone,
I was forced to lie without her.

2

Her yellow hair, like strands of gold,
Came rolling down my pillow.
She's the little one I love so well,
She's like the weeping willow.
" You've caused your parents to owe me a grudge
And treat me most unkindly,
Because you're of some high degree

You that love England, who have an ear for her music,
The slow movement of clouds in benediction,
Clear arias of light thrilling over her uplands,
Over the chords of summer sustained peacefully;
Ceaseless the leaves' counterpoint in a west wind lively,
Blossom and river rippling loveliest allegro,
And the storms of wood strings brass at year's finale:
Listen. Can you not hear the entrance of a new theme?

You who go out alone, on tandem or on pillion,
Down arterial roads riding in April,
Or sad beside lakes where hill-slopes are reflected

You take a town you cannot keep;
— And, forced in turn to fly,
O'er ruins you have made shall leap
— Your deadliest enemy!
Her love is yours — and be it so —
But can you keep it? No, no, no!

Upon her brow we gazed with awe,
— And loved, and wished to love, in vain
But when the snow begins to thaw
— We shun with scorn the miry plain.
Women with grace may yield: but she
Appeared some Virgin Deity.

Bright was her soul as Dian's crest
— Whitening on Vesta's fane its sheen:
Cold looked she as the waveless breast

You see the worst of love, but not the best,
Nor will you know him till he comes your guest.
Tho' yearly drops some feather from his sides,
In the heart's temple his pure torch abides.

. . . Of course, I love you;
you lean above the plastic sky,
god of our block, prince of all the foxes.

What large children we are
here. All over I grow most tall
in the best ward. Your business is people,
you call at the madhouse, an oracular
eye in our nest.

You are my song come true
That I sang unbelieving;
You are my hope made new
That I tarnished with grieving.

More than the losses of love
With which love denied me,
More than the shadows of love
With which love belied me,

Is the reward of this love
That now love has given —
All of the earth of love
And love's high heaven!

Yes, I'm in love, I feel it now,
And Celia has undone me;
And yet I'll swear I can't tell how
The pleasing plague stole on me.

'Tis not her face that love creates,
For there no Graces revel;
'Tis not her shape, for there the Fates
Have rather been uncivil.

'Tis not her air, for sure in that,
There's nothing more than common;
And all her sense is only chat,
Like any other woman.

Her voice, her touch, might give the alarm--
'Tis both perhaps, or neither;
In short, 'tis that provoking charm
Of Celia altogether.