Page:The Soul of a Century.djvu/141

 But yesterday, no, yet this very morning I stole about your palace like a shadow But to behold the smile upon your features And now your head is reclining in my lap, And no one here to question my possession. And you alone, you cannot free yourself Alone I have you, as I have always wanted Alone with you, with not a soul around No one but I, your Akte You are not breathing? Well, what of that? You are mine, I need not share You now with others you will never leave me No-one will dare to rob me of you, my treasure

When first you passed me by, I know for certain It was Destiny that ordered you to look And questioningly gaze into my eyes. Perhaps you dimly felt that someday I will be more To you than all the people of your land. More than your own breath, yes more than life itself. All fled from you and I alone remained. They spoke so ill of you and sought to judge And torture you according to their customs I failed to grasp it Your look, so sweet and tender, Your voice, whose softness sank to my soul’s depths, Your wondrous locks, now equalled but by Phoebus’. Why did they curse and drive you to the by-paths That lead to Hades’ depths? They did not know, And I who knew, I merely gazed at you with that same look With which a flower gazes towards her sun, And does not seem to care that this very sun For other flowers shines, by others is beloved. Yes, it was I, who could have found their errors For I knew best, they did not understand. But none would stop to hear a slave’s complaining And why should they? Your early burning kisses Fell fresh upon my unaccustomed lips While your heart-beats blend with my own frightened beating, Both hearts astir with love’s first flaming passion. And now, by God’s own graces I am favored To offer you my love’s most painful rite, To close your eyes A splendid cloak I know of The one you wore each festive New Year’s Day, Your cloak of white with the gold embroidered flowers. In this, dead Phoebe, I will softly place you Upon a pyre of sweetly scented woods, your ashes I will lay at rest, in honor