A ray of corruption, blue

As in encharnel’d air

On corpses comes. I knew

A Death, a Woman there.

Delirious, knee to knee,

They drank of love like wine,

He skeleton thin, and she

Most beautiful, most divine.

He with his eyes half warm’d

Out of their wan eclipse

With lipless kisses storm’d

Upon her living lips,

And like a vulture quaff’d,

And raised his hideous head

With joy aloft, and laugh’d

Like vultures sipping blood.

The purple, fold by fold,

Fell from her, and, unseen,

The diadem of gold

By which I knew her queen.

Nor he unknown: for at

His feet the fiery brand

And freezing fetters that

Endow him with command.

And on his head a crown

Of thirsty thorns of flame

That flicker’d up and down

In words that went and came

Like God’s, ‘I am of God’;

And said, ‘Duty to me

Is duty unto God’;

And said, ‘Come unto me,

And I will give you rest.’

Then as I wonder’d, lo!

I saw the Woman waste

To nothing; and he, as tho’

Blood nourisht by her blood,

Grow grosser in the gloom

And leprous like the toad

That battens in the tomb.

And both corrupted pined.

And lo! a voice that wept,

And then a faint far wind

Of laughter; and I slept.

II

Methought the heav’ns were crusht;

A myriad angels stood;

A wind of thunder rusht

Before the feet of God.

He spake: ‘AccursÈd men,

I find your earth a hell;

Show me what ye have done;

I bade ye order well.’

They said, ‘Well we have pray’d,

Lord, and for Heaven’s hope

A thousand temples made.’

And His lightning lickt them up.