Poems (Tree)/As in the Silence the Clear Moonlight Drips

by Iris Tree

AS in the silence the clear moonlight dripsAmong the fields that love her drowsily,These passionate moments trickle on through time,From soul to languorous soul.Like mad musicians upon fretted harps,The senses play upon the poignant nerves,—And colours clothe our moodAs smoke against the light, as shimmering prismsIrised with pallors of an opal's heartIn which the glittered pattern of desireSmoulders and changes. . . .O love, thou nightingale-throated singer,Thread on thy jewelled chords from start to starAnd keep thy silver delicate delightOut of the flush and lustre that makes mad.Let thy fairy feetGo tripping down a scarcely scented path,Between an avenue of breathless flowers.The hours glide by as swans across a lake,Across the luminous waters of desire,And beat as wings the rustle of soft words,As love bends down,Breathing his adoration on a fainting mouth.

1917