Oscar Wilde – ATHANASIA – poem
rnaudioproductions for www.ipodity.com www.allcast.co.uk ATHANASIA by Oscar Wilde read by sean Barrett O that gaunt House of Art which lacks for naught Of all the great things men have saved from Time, The withered body of a girl was brought Dead ere the world’s glad youth had touched its prime, And seen by lonely Arabs lying hid In the dim womb of some black pyramid. But when they had unloosed the linen band Which swathed the Egyptian’s body,–lo! was found Closed in the wasted hollow of her hand A little seed, which sown in English ground Did wondrous snow of starry blossoms bear And spread rich odours through our spring-tide air. With such strange arts this flower did allure That all forgotten was the asphodel, And the brown bee, the lily’s paramour, Forsook the cup where he was wont to dwell, For not a thing of earth it seemed to be, But stolen from some heavenly Arcady. In vain the sad narcissus, wan and white At its own beauty, hung across the stream, The purple dragon-fly had no delight With its gold dust to make his wings a-gleam, Ah! no delight the jasmine-bloom to kiss, Or brush the rain-pearls from the eucharis. For love of it the passionate nightingale Forgot the hills of Thrace, the cruel king, And the pale dove no longer cared to sail Through the wet woods at time of blossoming, But round this flower of Egypt sought to float, With silvered wing and amethystine throat. While the hot sun blazed in his tower of blue A cooling wind crept from the land of snows …
8 comments
Irish you understand!
Epigrammatical, terse yet ambiguous, and extraordinarily beautiful. One of my favourites is ‘The Harlot’s House’; so chilling…To dance a saraband…
Thanks for posting… Very refreshing
Wow thanks! Yeah, its ashame about Oscar. I think the majority fail to know who he is let alone understand him. He has always spoken to me though his works. I’m an artist also, and he has been an inspiration to me. I will certainly watch the other videos. Cheers, thanks again!!!:)
Dear Oscar fan, I will add another 6 just for you.
At last – someone who likes his verse .
Oscar is a little behind the other poets on my site, not many people interested in his works.
Time will tell.
I’m all attention! Bring ‘em on! I love Oscar!!!
Glad you like it – I have a few more still to add.
THIS MAN IS ETERNAL! I will always be in love with him..this is one of my favourites!!!
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