Two loves, av Lord Alfred "Bosie" Douglas

I dreamed I stood upon a little hill, 

And at my feet there lay a ground, that seemed 

Like a waste garden, flowering at its will 

With buds and blossoms. There were pools that dreamed 

Black and unruffled; there were white lilies 

A few, and crocuses, and violets 

Purple or pale, snake-like fritillaries 

Scarce seen for the rank grass, and through green nets 

Blue eyes of shy peryenche winked in the sun. 

And there were curious flowers, before unknown, 

Flowers that were stained with moonlight, or with shades 

Of Nature’s willful moods; and here a one 

That had drunk in the transitory tone 

Of one brief moment in a sunset; blades 

Of grass that in an hundred springs had been 

Slowly but exquisitely nurtured by the stars, 

And watered with the scented dew long cupped 

In lilies, that for rays of sun had seen 

Only God’s glory, for never a sunrise mars 

The luminous air of Heaven. Beyond, abrupt, 

A grey stone wall. o’ergrown with velvet moss 

Uprose; and gazing I stood long, all mazed 

To see a place so strange, so sweet, so fair. 

And as I stood and marvelled, lo! across 

The garden came a youth; one hand he raised 

To shield him from the sun, his wind-tossed hair 

Was twined with flowers, and in his hand he bore 

A purple bunch of bursting grapes, his eyes 

Were clear as crystal, naked all was he, 

White as the snow on pathless mountains frore, 

Red were his lips as red wine-spilith that dyes 

A marble floor, his brow chalcedony. 

And he came near me, with his lips uncurled 

And kind, and caught my hand and kissed my mouth, 

And gave me grapes to eat, and said, ‘Sweet friend, 

Come I will show thee shadows of the world 

And images of life. See from the South 

Comes the pale pageant that hath never an end.' 

And lo! within the garden of my dream 

I saw two walking on a shining plain 

Of golden light. The one did joyous seem 

And fair and blooming, and a sweet refrain 

Came from his lips; he sang of pretty maids 

And joyous love of comely girl and boy, 

His eyes were bright, and ‘mid the dancing blades 

Of golden grass his feet did trip for joy; 

And in his hand he held an ivory lute 

With strings of gold that were as maidens’ hair, 

And sang with voice as tuneful as a flute, 

And round his neck three chains of roses were. 

But he that was his comrade walked aside; 

He was full sad and sweet, and his large eyes 

Were strange with wondrous brightness, staring wide 

With gazing; and he sighed with many sighs 

That moved me, and his cheeks were wan and white 

Like pallid lilies, and his lips were red 

Like poppies, and his hands he clenched tight, 

And yet again unclenched, and his head 

Was wreathed with moon-flowers pale as lips of death. 

A purple robe he wore, o’erwrought in gold 

With the device of a great snake, whose breath 

Was fiery flame: which when I did behold 

I fell a-weeping, and I cried, ‘Sweet youth, 

Tell me why, sad and sighing, thou dost rove 

These pleasent realms? I pray thee speak me sooth 

What is thy name?' He said, ‘My name is Love.' 

Then straight the first did turn himself to me 

And cried, ‘He lieth, for his name is Shame, 

But I am Love, and I was wont to be 

Alone in this fair garden, till he came 

Unasked by night; I am true Love, I fill 

The hearts of boy and girl with mutual flame.' 

Then sighing, said the other, ‘Have thy will, 

I am the love that dare not speak its name.'