La Nue

A poem by Alan Seeger (1888-1916)

Oft when sweet music undulated round,

Like the full moon out of a perfumed sea

Thine image from the waves of blissful sound

Rose and thy sudden light illumined me.

And in the country, leaf and flower and air

Would alter and the eternal shape emerge;

Because they spoke of thee the fields seemed fair,

And Joy to wait at the horizon’s verge.

The little cloud-gaps in the east that filled

Gray afternoons with bits of tenderest blue

Were windows in a palace pearly-silled

That thy voluptuous traits came glimmering through.

And in the city, dominant desire

For which men toil within its prison-bars,

I watched thy white feet moving in the mire

And thy white forehead hid among the stars.

Mystical, feminine, provoking, nude,

Radiant there with rosy arms outspread,

Sum of fulfillment, sovereign attitude,

Sensual with laughing lips and thrown-back head,

Draped in the rainbow on the summer hills,

Hidden in sea-mist down the hot coast-line,

Couched on the clouds that fiery sunset fills,

Blessed, remote, impersonal, divine;

The gold all color and grace are folded o’er,

The warmth all beauty and tenderness embower, —

Thou quiverest at Nature’s perfumed core,

The pistil of a myriad-petalled flower.

Round thee revolves, illimitably wide,

The world’s desire, as stars around their pole.

Round thee all earthly loveliness beside

Is but the radiate, infinite aureole.

Thou art the poem on the cosmic page —

In rubric written on its golden ground —

That Nature paints her flowers and foliage

And rich-illumined commentary round.

Thou art the rose that the world’s smiles and tears

Hover about like butterflies and bees.

Thou art the theme the music of the spheres

Echoes in endless, variant harmonies.

Thou art the idol in the altar-niche

Faced by Love’s congregated worshippers,

Thou art the holy sacrament round which

The vast cathedral is the universe.

Thou art the secret in the crystal where,

For the last light upon the mystery Man,

In his lone tower and ultimate despair,

Searched the gray-bearded Zoroastrian.

And soft and warm as in the magic sphere,

Deep-orbed as in its erubescent fire,

So in my heart thine image would appear,

Curled round with the red flames of my desire.

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Poems in English 

• Indian Wedding Customs – Eastern and Western Indian Wedding Traditions by Poetry In English
• Latino Author and Educator Provides Tools for College and Life Success by Poetry In English
• The Merchant of Copan [In English and Spanish] by Poetry In English
• Knowing God Part 1 – Finding God, Knowing Him, and Doing His Works by Poetry In English
• The Art of Cake Decorating – A Beginners Recommendation For Cake Decorating Books by Poetry In English
• Creativity: The Top 10 Ways to Increase Your Creativity by Poetry In English
• Learning to Study – Hindrances to Study by Poetry In English
• Feeling Lucky to Be Irish by Poetry In English
• Source of Life – Gives Hope in Adversity? by Poetry In English
• The Importance of Rachel Carson’s Silent Spring by Poetry In English
• Work in Game Design Rather Than Other Design by Poetry In English
• 9 Types of Lovers – The Twisted Version by Poetry In English
• May You Encounter Christ’s Inclusive Church by Poetry In English
• Shaun White – The Power Behind the Snowboard Throne by Poetry In English
• Ways to Make Money Online Easily for Free – 4 Important Tips to Make Money Online by Poetry In English
• Stretch Mark Cream – How Creams Help Remove Stretch Marks by Poetry In English
• How To Use Vellum For Your Card Making Ideas by Poetry In English
• Neglecting the Word of God: A Foundational Cause of Lukewarmness by Poetry In English
• Celebrity Style Of The Week: Gabriel Akinosho by Poetry In English
• The Dying of America and How to Save Her by Poetry In English

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Ecosia – a search engine that supposedly… plants trees

Duckduckgo – the real alternative and a search engine that actually works. Without much censorship or partisan politics.

Yahoo– yes, it’s still around, amazingly, miraculously, incredibly, but now it seems to be powered by Bing.

 

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