Classic and Contemporary Poetry
THE REVELLER; A VINEYARD SONG, by GEORGE EDWARD WOODBERRY Poet's Biography First Line: Unwreathe thy brow! Thy cheek outvies Last Line: Love's imageless eternity! Subject(s): Grapes; Singing & Singers; Vines And Vineyards | ||||||||
UNWREATHE thy brow! Thy cheek outvies The golden grape in lustres rare; The rosebud of thy mouth denies The living rosebud hanging there; Nor teach the radiance of thy eyes To counterfeit the starry air; From all things else the beauty dies When thou art near, though they are fair; Star, rose and grape but mirrors warm Of loves that from thy beauty swarm, Thy brief, incarnate shades; in thee The world returns to unity. Unwreathe thyself, and singly shine Wine of the world, the rose-divine Body of love, desire star-sown That sparkles in the midnight zone, -- All beauty cast in passion's mould In thee corporeally bright, -- O Dionysian bloom, unfold! Crown, crown the revel's height, Sweet reveller! Thy golden cheek, Thy rosebud mouth, thy radiant eyes, A darling of the gods bespeak, Who take thee to the skies; With hands divinely holding up, As 'twere youth's flower, the vine-clad cup, Drink deep, O heavy-breathing boy, Crush on thy lips long draughts of joy! Then bear with thee to heaven along The wisdom of the vineyard song; Chime and charm thou mayst not bear, For the shadows' source reigns there; And when thou puttest thy beauty by, And shall at last unwreathe thee quite, Like stars that on the distant sky Suddenly beam, and cease from light; -- For who may know what shall befall After the whole earth's funeral? And who may know what there shall be Without the senses' imagery? -- Ah, when the grape and rose shall shed Their bloom, and garden-mould shall be, Reveal, all beauty being dead, Love's imageless eternity! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...MEDITATION OVER A SKULL by CHARLES HENRY MACKINTOSH A GROUND VINE by HERMAN MELVILLE THE SEA-BORN VINE (A DIONYSIAC LEGEND) by WILLIAM SHARP THE VINE by PERCY BYSSHE SHELLEY AFTER THE VINTAGE by JOHN LAWSON STODDARD AUTUMN IN MERAN by JOHN LAWSON STODDARD IN MY VINEYARD by BAYARD TAYLOR THE VINEYARD-SAINT by BAYARD TAYLOR AT GIBRALTAR by GEORGE EDWARD WOODBERRY |
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