The Witch with Eyes of Amber

I met a witch with amber eyes Who slowly sang a scarlet rune, Shifting to an icy laughter Like the laughter of the moon.

Red as a wanton’s was her mouth, And fair the breast she bade me take With a word that clove and clung Burning like a furnace-flake.

But from her bright and lifted bosom, When I touched it with my hand, Came the many-needled coldness Of a glacier-taken land.

And, lo! the witch with eyes of amber Vanished like a blown-out flame Leaving but the lichen-eaten Stone that bore a blotted name.