Page:Stars of the Desert.djvu/89



me, in that I kissed your lips Too fiercely or too soon; It was the fault of the nightingale Singing against the moon. If Reason swerved in a brief eclipse The while I sinned my sin, Opposed to Love, it must always fail Since Love must always win.

The flowers rejoiced in that kiss of ours, Even as they were fain The great night moths should ravage their hearts, Seeking for golden gain: Bringing them pollen from other flowers, Set open through the night To play their motionless, mystic parts In Nature's marriage rite.

And who was I, to resist, withstand That charm of fragrant gloom? A summer night has a thousand powers Of scent and stars and bloom 77