Lee Wilson Dodd
Hear me, brother!Boldly I stepped into the Temple,Into the Temple where the God dwellsVeiled with Seven Veils,Into the Temple of Unbroken Silence:And my joyous feet shod with crimson sandalsRang out on the tesselated pavement,Rang out fearlesslyLike a challenge and a cry!And there—in that shrouded solitude,There—before the Seven Veils,There—because of youth and youth’s madness,Because of love and love’s unresting heart,There did I sing three songs!And my first song praised the eyes of a wanton;And my second song praised the lips of a wanton;And my third song praised the feet of a dancing girl!Thus did I desecrate the Temple,Thus did I stand before the Seven Veils,Proudly!Thus did I wait upon the God’s Voice—Proudly!—And the sudden shaft of death....But no Voice stirred the Seven Veils,Though I stood long....And my knees shook,My bones were afraid....Swiftly I loosed the crimson sandals,And, tearing them from off my feet,Crept shuddering forth!Hear me, brother!Now am I as one stricken with palsy,Now am I sick with the close ache of terror,Now am I as one who, having tasted poison,Cowers, waiting for the pang!
Hear me, brother!Boldly I stepped into the Temple,Into the Temple where the God dwellsVeiled with Seven Veils,Into the Temple of Unbroken Silence:And my joyous feet shod with crimson sandalsRang out on the tesselated pavement,Rang out fearlesslyLike a challenge and a cry!And there—in that shrouded solitude,There—before the Seven Veils,There—because of youth and youth’s madness,Because of love and love’s unresting heart,There did I sing three songs!And my first song praised the eyes of a wanton;And my second song praised the lips of a wanton;And my third song praised the feet of a dancing girl!Thus did I desecrate the Temple,Thus did I stand before the Seven Veils,Proudly!Thus did I wait upon the God’s Voice—Proudly!—And the sudden shaft of death....But no Voice stirred the Seven Veils,Though I stood long....And my knees shook,My bones were afraid....Swiftly I loosed the crimson sandals,And, tearing them from off my feet,Crept shuddering forth!Hear me, brother!Now am I as one stricken with palsy,Now am I sick with the close ache of terror,Now am I as one who, having tasted poison,Cowers, waiting for the pang!
Hear me, brother!Boldly I stepped into the Temple,Into the Temple where the God dwellsVeiled with Seven Veils,Into the Temple of Unbroken Silence:And my joyous feet shod with crimson sandalsRang out on the tesselated pavement,Rang out fearlesslyLike a challenge and a cry!And there—in that shrouded solitude,There—before the Seven Veils,There—because of youth and youth’s madness,Because of love and love’s unresting heart,There did I sing three songs!And my first song praised the eyes of a wanton;And my second song praised the lips of a wanton;And my third song praised the feet of a dancing girl!
Hear me, brother!
Boldly I stepped into the Temple,
Into the Temple where the God dwells
Veiled with Seven Veils,
Into the Temple of Unbroken Silence:
And my joyous feet shod with crimson sandals
Rang out on the tesselated pavement,
Rang out fearlessly
Like a challenge and a cry!
And there—in that shrouded solitude,
There—before the Seven Veils,
There—because of youth and youth’s madness,
Because of love and love’s unresting heart,
There did I sing three songs!
And my first song praised the eyes of a wanton;
And my second song praised the lips of a wanton;
And my third song praised the feet of a dancing girl!
Thus did I desecrate the Temple,Thus did I stand before the Seven Veils,Proudly!Thus did I wait upon the God’s Voice—Proudly!—And the sudden shaft of death....
Thus did I desecrate the Temple,
Thus did I stand before the Seven Veils,
Proudly!
Thus did I wait upon the God’s Voice—
Proudly!—
And the sudden shaft of death....
But no Voice stirred the Seven Veils,Though I stood long....
But no Voice stirred the Seven Veils,
Though I stood long....
And my knees shook,My bones were afraid....
And my knees shook,
My bones were afraid....
Swiftly I loosed the crimson sandals,And, tearing them from off my feet,Crept shuddering forth!
Swiftly I loosed the crimson sandals,
And, tearing them from off my feet,
Crept shuddering forth!
Hear me, brother!Now am I as one stricken with palsy,Now am I sick with the close ache of terror,Now am I as one who, having tasted poison,Cowers, waiting for the pang!
Hear me, brother!
Now am I as one stricken with palsy,
Now am I sick with the close ache of terror,
Now am I as one who, having tasted poison,
Cowers, waiting for the pang!
For the God spake not....
And the sense of my littleness is upon me:And I am a worm in my own sight,Trodden and helpless;A casual grain of sandIndistinguishable amid a million grains:And I take no pleasure now in youthNor in youth’s madness,In loveNor in love’s unresting heart;And I praise no longer the eyes of a wanton,Nor the lips of a wanton,Nor the light feet of a dancing girl.
And the sense of my littleness is upon me:And I am a worm in my own sight,Trodden and helpless;A casual grain of sandIndistinguishable amid a million grains:And I take no pleasure now in youthNor in youth’s madness,In loveNor in love’s unresting heart;And I praise no longer the eyes of a wanton,Nor the lips of a wanton,Nor the light feet of a dancing girl.
And the sense of my littleness is upon me:And I am a worm in my own sight,Trodden and helpless;A casual grain of sandIndistinguishable amid a million grains:And I take no pleasure now in youthNor in youth’s madness,In loveNor in love’s unresting heart;And I praise no longer the eyes of a wanton,Nor the lips of a wanton,Nor the light feet of a dancing girl.
And the sense of my littleness is upon me:
And I am a worm in my own sight,
Trodden and helpless;
A casual grain of sand
Indistinguishable amid a million grains:
And I take no pleasure now in youth
Nor in youth’s madness,
In love
Nor in love’s unresting heart;
And I praise no longer the eyes of a wanton,
Nor the lips of a wanton,
Nor the light feet of a dancing girl.
Call me friend or foe,Little I care!I go with all who goDaring to dare.I am the force,I am the fire,I am the secret sourceOf desire.I am the urge,The spur and thong:Moon of the tides that surgeInto song!Call me friend or foe,Little care I,I go with all who goSinging to die.Call me friend or foe....Taking to give,I go with all who goDying to live.
Call me friend or foe,Little I care!I go with all who goDaring to dare.I am the force,I am the fire,I am the secret sourceOf desire.I am the urge,The spur and thong:Moon of the tides that surgeInto song!Call me friend or foe,Little care I,I go with all who goSinging to die.Call me friend or foe....Taking to give,I go with all who goDying to live.
Call me friend or foe,Little I care!I go with all who goDaring to dare.
Call me friend or foe,
Little I care!
I go with all who go
Daring to dare.
I am the force,I am the fire,I am the secret sourceOf desire.
I am the force,
I am the fire,
I am the secret source
Of desire.
I am the urge,The spur and thong:Moon of the tides that surgeInto song!
I am the urge,
The spur and thong:
Moon of the tides that surge
Into song!
Call me friend or foe,Little care I,I go with all who goSinging to die.
Call me friend or foe,
Little care I,
I go with all who go
Singing to die.
Call me friend or foe....Taking to give,I go with all who goDying to live.
Call me friend or foe....
Taking to give,
I go with all who go
Dying to live.