Selene

My beloved, is it nothing Though we meet not, neither can, That I see thee, and thou me, That we see, and see we see, When I see I also feel thee; Is it nothing, my beloved!

Thy luminous clear beauty Brightens on me in my night, I withdraw into my darkness To allure thee into light. About me and upon me I feel them pass and stay, About me, deep into me, every lucid tender ray. And thou, thou also feelest When thou stealest Shamefaced and half afraid To the chamber of thy shade, Thou in thy turn, Thou too feelest Something follow, something yearn, A full orb blaze and burn.

My full orb upon thine, As thine erst, gently smiling, Softly wooing, sweetly wiling, Gleamed on mine; So mine on thine in turn When thou feelest blaze and burn, Is it nothing, my beloved?

My beloved, is it nothing When I see thee and thou me, When we each other see, Is it nothing, my beloved?

Closer, closer come unto me. Shall I see thee and no more? I can see thee, is that all? Let me also, Let me feel thee, Closer, closer, my beloved, Come unto me, come to me, come O cruel, cruel lot, still thou rollest, stayest not, Lookest onward, look’st before, Yet I follow, evermore. Oh, cold and cruel fate, thou rollest on thy way, Scarcely lookest, will not stay, From thine alien way.

The inevitable motion Bears me forth upon the line Whose course I cannot see. I must move as it conveys me Evermore. It so must be.

O cold one, and I round thee Revolve, round only thee, Straining ever to be nearer While thou evadest still; Repellest still, O cold one, Nay, but closer, closer, closer, My beloved, come, come, come!

The inevitable motion Carries both upon its line, Also you as well as me. What is best, and what is strongest, We obey. It so must be.

Cruel, cruel, didst thou only Feel as I feel evermore, A force, though in, not of me, Drawing inward, in, in, in.

Yea, thou shalt though, ere all endeth, Thou shalt feel me closer, closer, My beloved, close, close to thee, Come to thee, come, come, come!

The inevitable motion Bears us both upon its line Together, you as me, Together and asunder, Evermore. It so must be.