THOU great Commandress, that dost move Thy sceptre o'er the crown of Love, And through his empire, with the awe Of thy chaste beams, dost give the law; From his profaner altars we Turn to adore thy deity: He only can wild lust provoke, Thou those impurer flames canst choke; And where he scatters looser fires, Thou turn'st them into chaste desires. His kingdom knows no rule but this: @3Whatever pleaseth lawful is;@1 Thy sacred lore shows us the path Of modesty and constant faith, Which makes the rude male satisfi'd With one fair female by his side; Doth either sex to each unite, And form Love's pure hermaphrodite. To this thy faith, behold the wild Satyr already reconcil'd, Who from the influence of thine eye Hath suck'd the deep divinity. O free them then, that they may teach The centaur and the horse-man preach To beasts and birds, sweetly to rest Each in his proper lair and nest; They shall convey it to the flood, Till there thy law be understood: So shalt thou with thy pregnant fire The water, earth, and air inspire. | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest...THE WORD OF AN ENGINEER by JAMES WELDON JOHNSON SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: ALBERT SCHIRDING by EDGAR LEE MASTERS YOUNG SAMMY'S FIRST WILD OATS by GEORGE SANTAYANA PRISONED IN WINDSOR, HE RECOUNTETH HIS PLEASURE THERE PASSED by HENRY HOWARD THE EAGLE THAT IS FORGOTTEN by NICHOLAS VACHEL LINDSAY SPOON RIVER ANTHOLOGY: DAISY FRASER by EDGAR LEE MASTERS KARMA by EDWIN ARLINGTON ROBINSON |