Friday, April 02, 2010

Ad Finem-Poetry

On the white throat of useless passion
That scorched my soul with its burning breath
I clutched my hands in murderous fashion,
And held them close in a grip of death;
For why should I fan, or feed with fuel,
A love that showed me but blank despair ?
So my hold was firm, and my grasp was cruel—
I meant to strangle it then and there!

I thought it was dead. But with no warning,
It rose from its grave last night, and came
And stood by my bed til the early morning
And over and over it spoke your name.
Its throat was red where my hands had held it;
It burned my brow with its scorching breath;
And I knew the moment my eyes beheld it,
"A love like this can know no death."

For just one kiss that your lips have given
In the lost and beautiful past to me,
I would gladly barter my hopes of Heaven
And all the bliss of Eternity.
For never a joy are the angels keeping,
To lay at my feet in Paradise,
Like that into your strong arms creeping,
And looking into your love-lit eyes.

I know, in the way that sins are reckoned,
This thought is a sin of the deepest dye ;
But I know too if an angel beckoned,
Standing close by the Throne on High,
And you, adown by the gates infernal,
Should open your loving arms and smile,
I would turn my back on things supernal,
To lay on your breast a little while.

To know for an hour you where mine completely——-
Mine in body and soul, my own——
I would bear unending tortures sweetly,
With not a murmur and not a moan.
A lighter sin or lesser error
Might change through hope or fear divine;
But there is no fear, and hell has no terror,
To change or alter a love like mine. ~ Ella Wheeler Wilcox (1850 -1919)

14 comments:

Stone said...

~* like it *~ ..facebook estyle!

Diwakar Sinha said...

wah wah wah!

xyz said...

"For just one kiss that your lips have given
In the lost and beautiful past to me,
I would gladly barter my hopes of Heaven
And all the bliss of Eternity."

anyone wud love to do such a barter...but then looking it closely.. does it worth... may be it does.. but do we find someone to make it worth in this milkyway...

-abhilasha

kirti said...

Thanks for sharing . It conveys such a beautiful emotion , I also felt once but wonder where and when did it got lost , while living by the standard of the day!

Arunima said...

@Abhilasha: I guess, some people do find it on this milkyway. Not sure, if it is on earth though :-)

Arunima said...

kirti: Yeah, Kirti. Happens.

austere said...

haunting...

xyz said...

ya sure ;-)

Utopia said...

I like your blog. :D

AmitL said...

Arunima, you reminded me more of English Poetry classes in school, rather than dreaming of reality..(Whew..did I coin a phrase?*muses*)..and figures of speech- similes, metaphors, antithesis,etc...:)
-----
Now, let me read again as a simple poem/:)

Arunima said...

Hey Amitl, if this was part of the syllabus, I'd have hated it. Imagine having to memorise this and teacher asking you to recite it. I'll learn the first verse and then look up, roll up eyes and pretend I actually learnt it and pray I am spared the ruler.

AmitL said...

The Ruler?That was in ancient days...when were you studying,Arunima?*muses*..hahaha

Arunima said...

@Amitl: I studied just yesterday in a modern school with ancient punishment methods. :-)

DISGRUNTLED GENIUS said...

nice poem...

subtly conveys all the passions and emotions that love is capable of evokin...

thumbs up ...