POEMS by HARRY CROSBY
I .
THE BLACK SUN PRESS RUE CARDINALE PARIS MCMXXIX
TRANSIT OF VENUS
POEMS by HARRY CROSBY
THE BLACK SUN PRESS RUE CARDINALE PARIS MCMXXIX CONTENTS
1 First Meeting .2 Indubitable 5 All That Is Beautiful 4 A Girl Comes From Afar .j Testament of Pleasure 6 Altazimuth 1 Thorn in the Flesh a The Rose 9 Ritual 10 Requisites 11 Shadows 1.2 Priestess 15 Goddess of Mirth ! 14 You Came To Me 15 Poem 16 Nor Look Behind 11 Magic Formula 16 Youth 19 Your Kiss .20 Miracle .21 Arrow of Gold .2.2 It Is Well
I i I '{ r ~
CONTENTS CONTENTS
2.5 World. Made To Be Loved. 46 Kiss 24 Be Not It Is I .. 46 Fire-Eaters 2.5 Day-Dreaming 47 Parallel 26 Beyond. 43 Forecast 27 · Were It Not Better 4.9 And. Memory 23 Prayer 50 New Every Morning 2.9 Roots .51 Panther .50 Creur d.e Jeune Femme 62 Eud.emonism I .51 Hands .5.5 Phoenix .52 That Hard. Word. .54 U nfathomed. .5.5 Laid. U nd.er 55 Gay .54 Mask 56 Now I Lay Me Down To Sleep .5.5 You Would. Not Scream 57 Alchemy .56 Reckon the Day 63 Sharing Fire .57 Lost Things 59 Yes .53 Venus 60 Amor .59 Eventuate 61 We Are One 40 Beauty in Bed. 62 Last Contact 41 Little Girl 42 Nicer Hands • 4.5 Feet of the Sun 44 Little Poems
I I " hut occasionally at her inferior conjunction Venus passes directly across the disk of the Sun, the phenomenon being known as a Transit. " iiI (The Sun hy Young) l
"two tires that make one tire" (Tristram by Robinson) I )
FIRST MEETING
(" lorsque venus est tout entiere entree clans le clisque")
When you are the :flower I am the shaclow cast by the :flower When I am the tire You are the mirror reffecting the tire And. when Venus has entered. the clisk of the Sun Then you are that Venus and. I am the Sun.
1 INDUBITABLE ALL THAT IS BEAUTIFUL
How little can be known All that is beautiful shall How :first I met you Out of our garden grow All words are common All hope beyond. all fear Of what were good. to clo All gentle play Of how in silks and. satins half undone All yes and. never no Your fearless arms imparaclisecl the sun. All. fl'owers of the night and clay While deep within our hearts shall smoulder Strange fire growing young not older. A GIRL COMES FROM AFAR TESTAMENT OF PLEASURE
A girl comes from afar Testament of pleasure, In naked ignorance The love of, for itself, · Ghost of defunct The shy laugh of, Unburied circumstance The state of nature; One soul in two The study of a rose, Two with one soul This is To roll like a wheel To be prepared for. From the one to the other Love to the lover.
4 5 I J ALTAZIMUTH THORN IN THE FLESH ,I ) ' We know not what we may Thorn beneath the milk-white J! ((;raves of prblcesses Crowned with (;reen in our souls) In the fresh 1- 1- By rockets and ffashing of signals ll By trigonometrical surveys Thorns beneath the ~,_ By the aid of chronometers Rose without tr By ultra-violet rays On the ground We know not what we may erect On the stalk I By transit observations of the moon, I, By culminating stars, soon, Thousands at her bidding speed By the aid of an altazimuth Countless mourn We shall erect Die without Perpendiculars enough. I Sunbeam in a winter's day d I :.''1 True as the dial to ! l !I True as the dial to ! True as the dial To you .
• 6 7
------RITUAL
Venus is sleeping with Fire Because it is winter and. cold.. THE ROSE With Echo To fame unknown (The sonnd. of strange footsteps gold. upon gold. To many a, and. many a maid. As they pass through the door) We are not naming To whom was given With Love Virtue (As she goes to the Sun (Be as wax to flaming) And. is seen by the world. no more) We poets in our desire Wear the rose of what he steals from her Among lanterns and. torches Learning in the freshness of And. flags unfurled. Ashes cold. as fire. She and. the Snn Are not of this world.. I l ) )
9 REQUISITES SHADOWS Of the moon, Of the wind, A shade, Of the frozen sea, A starless night, As ice, he thou, Death, As evening dew, Of death, darkness and the As the icide, Of some unseen power, As unsunned snow, Thy wings under the As orchids I shall bring to you - On the wall To me if you are not these Of evening, let me call What care I how you he Shadows of a thought in green I shall know tranquillity. Shadows I have seen,
10 11 PRIESTESS GODDESS OF MIRTH
The moon Of the stars, Lives in her arms Of the frayed motm.\ ·f Of the sun will be dimmed Shows in her face ' Teaches such beauty Of time, That all the low Of the birth of the world And commonplace Vain pomp and power Imaginings have gone One shame and one ffower, Leaving Aurora 0 goddess of mirth Daughter of the dawn. Hurled soon to the grave Rushed to and passed from the earth.
Hl 13
·~--~·--··--- j YOU CAME TO ME POEM
You came to me The moon, as yon dead., On all the winds of an ostrich, The rolling, On winds of the desert, The whole kin On evening wind. The whole wide Of night, falls from the There is not in the wide Of silence, ffoat upon the This great rounclahout Of morning, This gross, hard-seeming, On the wind., ffy upon the This my, Of winds came frying on, This little On wide-waving, This pendent Sailing on echo This unintelligible, Of winds. Thou art the whole wide, Three corners of the Tired. of wandering orbit.
14 1..5 II ! ( NOR LOOK BEHIND MAGIC FORMULA
Remember Lot's wife ~hat heavens opened and blazed, I How like a woman in a barren field ~hat sisters virtuous, I No stronger than a Hower ~hat arrows sprang to mark Not born in shame The trees so terrible and dark, Like the deaf adder ~hat years, what hopes, I Adding fuel to the ffame What lions all amazed, Of virtue What fears disguised, Of weak minds (These antelopes with frightened eyes) Of blame What things are these? In naked beauty more The most when unadorned These are the things that all day long Spare not nor look behind On things made new Nor fear After the sunset has merged with the dawn Nor spare I bring to you. The scorned. These are the things that grow less and less As sleep devours our nakedness.
1 6 11' YOUTH YOUR KISS
Fair, all that is, by nature good, I am- Crystal river It was your kiss that made me Ever young and strong, Gather bright arrows Man that has his quiver full For the day of death Ever young and strong, A death more beautiful than death And good as she, A fire upon fire And never wrong, Behold your beauty carrying fire He softly goes Apparition seen and gone With unpolluted fresh Cannot make the prospect less To gather petals from the rose. Summer with Autumn shall undress .
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18 19 I I
L______J MIRACLE ARROW OF GOLD
Abysm of time, dark 0 for a muse of Abysmal dark, or the 0 love 0 Abyss, into this wild (One love burns out another) Accent of an angel's whisper 0 Accents :ffow with artless ease In her eyes she smothers That are ours, In her hands she holds Accept a miracle instead of these. The pillar of fire hy night (Purge off the baser fright) 0 for the test of gold Slender and swift and warriorbold Arrow of gold .
.20 IT IS WELL WORLD MADE TO BE LOVED l. On my heart metallic A worlcl macle to he } ,' Strives the past to throw Loved long since ancl awhile N ohle clust of centuries All goocl to me is, N ohle clust of snow. All goocl to me is As her smile, Were this neeclful to the ffower Battles won ancl battles Were this free from fear Gone before Were this immortality Ancl battles lost Sun heyoncl all fear. Not gone before, In laws churches ancl creeds Then would men he liars In wandering images Then would men he lost Loved long since It is well that we desire In cleecls Fire chained to living frost. Praising what is silent Above the ffowers Things all clay long are lost The immortal daughters of the hours Things are macle new ancl lost Her children Things can he horn ancl lost Sleeping away the hours Things work together ancl are lost They are in the cloracles' keeping. Things to all men are lost.
It is well it is not love It is well that they are lost.
.2.2 .25
\ BE NOT IT IS I DAY-DREAMING
Be not, it is I To lay her hand upon the Whistling to keep from being Forever two are walking On our dull side Though not alone man dwells. Fleeing to ocean Come never hack To lay her hand upon the words Cut and come Of earth unbroken Flow gently sweet Whereof it may he said Looking before and Not every question Of her best days Brings an answer spoken. Sunshine asleep, Come never hack To lay her hand upon the cool-enfolding Cut and come - Take your last embrace Us the deluge Hunger is the teacher of Which has come . The palaces of lace.
.24 .2.5 l_I BEYOND WERE IT NOT BETTER
Beyond the roofs of the world., Were it not better, not too soon, Beyond the works of man, On even keel, though it be dark, Beyond house and home, On life's dark ocean, for us to sail Beyond old. hooks, On 0 ship of state (unmockingly) Beyond. the frying-pan, (We know not where we go) Beyond ffags long furled. On 0 gold. hark. of the moon (Out of sight out of mind.), (0 Bay of Biscay, Beyond. the everywhere into here, 0 to he a wolf and. hay the moon) Beyond. old. fields (austere), On 0 Union strong and. great Beyond the woods that I came through, .Set every threadbare swan I find. (0 sweetest place) Upon the sea Your mouth, 0 let me woo Mate with the many mermaids, go Your mouth Loved. hy you and. loved. hy me That dark and purple fruit To and. fro That trembles like a heart To love and. not to Irresolute. .Sink below.
.26 .2? PRAYER ROOTS Day, from darkness to Tall ancestral Day, lead. me 0 Sun till Tongues in Days, unto the Unto the root of Day, then if ever come Dark-fingered. Days which weigh upon the heart, Lead. me quietly away As the needle to the pole Lead. me quietly apart. As the shadow to the sun Fungi and. mushrooms And. the root of a tree Dark-flngered. Thrusting into lnflnity.
i9 CCEUR DE JEUNE FEMME HANDS
Her heart In hand (the touch of a wanton hand) Is of a number of things, In hand the golden Of whispered song • In hand with the sea-breeze Of comfort buUt with money White hands in a golden chain Of dead men's bones White hands on her knees Of necklaces and rings White wonder upon a woman Of faith Of hands half open (he is fresh and funny Or, if you please, of good intentions Hand upon many a of good works And hands both open of goodly prospect Upon many a heart, of grace force Hands of the hours fascination youth) Draw us apart, Her heart is of marble Hands for the body For defence Hands for the heart. Of sweet days, of roses, I Of sweet indifference I When he proposes. I
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30 31 I
L THAT HARD WORD LAID UNDER
That hard. word. Laid. under the root of a tree That sore saying spoken As a star The end.- As roses The poor creature, I d.o, As she The power of beauty, I, Darkness and. silence agree. The way we parted. Forget that I, Laid. under the root of a heart I cannot, hut that such things were, As a hurt I remember (broken-hearted.) As ashes Only Her. As a dart Passion and. love break apart .
, .. ,_~ ---- -~~~,-----~ MASK YOU WOULD NOT SCREAM
We like, we figure the, I wish to-night I were a cat We long for what we are, That I might slink We are now as they are, To where you sleep demurely All are the same (Sleeping above the brink of dream) All day long, on all And suck your breath Beyond all use Slowly and surely All work together for the good Into death. All to all men All thinking all a dream All that are Are seldom as they seem .
.54 .55 1i
RECKON THE DAYS LOST THINGS
Rekon the aays you have not been Lost things Anticipate the past Were warm with beauty Ye evening tapers Bira of the Reckon the aays Biras of the have nests Fire shall cool at last Her charming gestures ana her breasts Reckon the aays in one wora Hurtle in the aarkenea room, Reckon the past. So soft, so hushea, So soft the biras in nests, So soft her breasts .
.36 i I ·I I i VENUS EVENTUATE I am here Maae up of loveliness (looking into your eyes) Looking in the looking-glass I am not the Ample room ana verge enough J e ne suis pas Flesh in the grass. Just newly horn That all are praising Never anything can he With leaves yet folaeJ Frail as her coquetery waiting the aawn, Analytic with a glance But I shall remain here venus rouges for the aance. (immortal hehina this portal) I shall remain here Anchors great ana anchors small (as one shall see in a Hola her lovers fast in thrall aay at the ena of a Jay Apparitions seen with scorn one golaen languor) One has gone. I say the worla is in your hair (in aream the youngest princess lar most shy ana laaylike in very gentleness of Jream) A very snare Wherein agree Five fathom aeep Miraculously Darkness ana sleep.
39
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BEAUTY IN BED LITTLE GIRL
All her sorrow, all her The little girl of the pink ring All in vain, Pend.uluming And. ashes And. the stars were like notes of music And. laughter Linked. atoms And. smiles, kisses Male and. female Are shed. Land. and. ocean j Beauty smiling in her bed.. Good. and. evil ' Rest and. motion.
40 41 NICER HANDS FEET OF THE SUN Nicer hands Not well together His feet are nailed. to desperate paths His feet are bruised Run to waste His feet endure On things of love Contending with, For some wretch's l ,, Crossed with, Friend of pleasure jl A man he is Those who with us What way to endure On the stage ! Calm and. pleasant His feet because of hers are pure. When the weather I Calm and pleasant In their cage.
4.2 .... ~· , .. " II
KISS LITTLE POEMS This blessed. fruit, this, This goodly red, I This fire, this 0, this, This is the last of Two dark little doors This kiss. (Her eyes).
II
Her ears Two little slippers For the feet of my voice.
44 46 FIRE-EATERS PARALLEL
At every one in his castle Of love's sw~t poses, (moonlight sleeps upon the Of pleasures lovers contest for, bed. of violets, breathes upon a Of hands and eyes and breasts and feet, shoal of time, Of roses, better for being a little Of things unknown over-sublime) That once have been At every one at his feasting (Former times were sweet). At kings and queens at their feast Of forty days and forty nights We laugh on our bed of laughter In places that we knew not of Because we are least Unheard our dirge was being sung (the ruin lay, lovely in death Unseen our bodies hung - the ruin lies, and In places that we know full well I lovers admire Our souls are fleeting parallel her naked eyes) To Sun. Viler than vile esteemed Because we devour the fire Others have dreamed.
46 41
! .t L FORECAST AND MEMORY I care not If .Fortune is blind, fickle, And memory Is like glass, At which the soul grew pale - I thus leave thee Has divers ways, Is unstable, Not what we would Is on our side, when, But what we live without - 0 nightingale Is false as brass, Leads on to, We will not ask her Of her face, Leaves some door open, By man, Favors bridegroom or bride, strangers, Sees love-words broken. By By the midnight place I only care Where beauty rustles in the dark, Lest Fortune mar R.evered and honored, Loved and lost, (then I shall he particular) Far-hidden in the heart Your hare, bright beauty Of gallant men, Slings and arrows Of soldiers slain, To make you common as the sparrows. Of shipwrecked poets In the rain.
48 49
~~~~--~--~~----~~------'·--~----~------L I NEW EVERY MORNING PANTHER I New every morning Pounce pounce 0 panther All brightness like an orchestra of swords Pounce upon your mate All Hashing messages of joy Love and. devour All gay as ladies with their lords Love and. hate Meteor with comet spinning spun For you no pale prosaic love New every morning with the sun. No vulgar pigeon with his dove.
50 .51 EUDEMONISM PHOENIX ,I I Lived. and. loved. we have Let beauty grow And. loved. together we have Let moonlight meet In abundance Dear, ' The noonday light In the eye of nature, In thee In the tid.e of times, Let miracles of song prevail In hearts long d.ead. behind., Let male and. female In suns new centuries ahead.; In one clean fusion Through all things, Rise like a phoenix To d.ay we have From the world.' s confusion. With no other thought Dear As we often d.o You with me I with you. ' ',I t~·~ 5.Q ~~~ 5~
I UNFATHOMED GAY
Nestle in the central fire Gay as the day is Love has everywhere Before and after we Deep unfathomed. passions Gay as the sun's To lay hare Velocity · Doors not yet discovered. Gay as our love is Semblances of noon Silkiness and gold Secrets half-uncovered Gay as a colt Like the moon. New-foaled..
64 66 NOW I LAY ME DOWN TO SLEEP ALCHEMY
Sounds of creep in my ears 0 stallions of the wind. Of your voice 0 hurricanes and. storms of fire Slumbers in the shell 0 javelin for the moon to burn Of my ear This is the madness we require Of humanity still sad., This surf of rainbows Of lost cries of war, Curving into sleep Of the wild. gu1l.s of the sea This sudden alchemy of splendor Lost to the shore. For us to reap. Faint village bells, Faint stars with silver sound., Faint tintinnabulation For the drowned..
66
-----·~----.. ~------~ SHARING FIRE YES
White as a thought of One little Whiteness One golden Pure in thought as are the eyes of Of bliss winged. Sad. as said. to he the speech of With flying feet Those who sharing fire One vision golden Teach us it is growing late Of the sun and. sea Teach us to in~e One precise moment At the heavy gate. Of darity.
69 AMOR WE ARE ONE
At sunrise the shad.ows divide We are one (Young legs of the hrid.e) As heaven and. earth are And. soon soon one in the rain The :fiery shad.owless As the heart and. the hod.y Blaze of noon As pleasure and. pain Until the shadows fall together We are one Beneath the crescent moon's white feather. Seed. and. hlood. Wood. and. tire Wind. and. the weathervane.
60 61 LAST CONTACT
("1 orsque V'enus va quttter· cleflnitivement le disque Solaire")
Cry in your sleep and. implore Cry autumn's fire still small Cry as the cloor to the wind. Cry for I call.
Cry for the touch of the snow upon snow Cry of the things that you fear Cry in the darkness a distant Dream in my ear.
62 Books By The Same Author
Po-ef,.r This second. edition of Transit of Venus printed. in Sonnets For Caresse ,') the Summer of 19.29 hy the II Chariot of the Sun Maitre-lmprimeur Lescaret I (Introduction hy D.H. Lawrence) at the Black Sun Press, Paris, is limited. to two Ti,.ath.s hundred. copies on Holland. Van Gelder Zonen. / Mad. Queen , Jr' I.~.'.· ,I, .... ~ \ ,. t.i ._ ;, /;~,.j' Shadows of the Sun ''\.:""~,\51·\/ '' \.l !