Oscar Wilde - ATHANASIA - poem

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ATHANASIA
by Oscar Wilde


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,
And the warm south with tender tears of dew
Drenched its white leaves when Hesperos up-rose
Amid those sea-green meadows of the sky
On which the scarlet bars of sunset lie.

But when o'er wastes of lily-haunted field
The tired birds had stayed their amorous tune,
And broad and glittering like an argent shield
High in the sapphire heavens hung the moon,
Did no strange dream or evil memory make
Each tremulous petal of its blossoms shake?

Ah no! to this bright flower a thousand years
Seemed but the lingering of a summer's day,
It never knew the tide of cankering fears
Which turn a boy's gold hair to withered grey,
The dread desire of death it never knew,
Or how all folk that they were born must rue.

For we to death with pipe and dancing go,
Now would we pass the ivory gate again,
As some sad river wearied of its flow
Through the dull plains, the haunts of common men,
Leaps lover-like into the terrible sea!
And counts it gain to die so gloriously.

We mar our lordly strength in barren strife
With the world's legions led by clamorous care,
It never feels decay but gathers life
From the pure sunlight and the supreme air,
We live beneath Time's wasting sovereignty,
It is the child of all eternity.

Audio created by Robert Nichol AudioProductions London all rights reserved
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[gabbers9]

I'm all attention! Bring 'em on! I love Oscar!!!

[JustAudio2008]

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.

[gabbers9]

THIS MAN IS ETERNAL! I will always be in love with him..this is one of my favourites!!!

[JustAudio2008]

Glad you like it - I have a few more still to add.

[Babycham8701]

Thanks for posting... Very refreshing :)

[morgantegeler]

I was born the same day as oscar wilde, on october 16th. We share so many similar views of life.

[littleladytomboy]

@JustAudio2008 Not many interested? what has our world come to when not only we can't create miracles equal to his but we can't even understand them? when I see his work I get an urge forcing me to create something only to be held back by knowing that it will never be as good as his...

[MrVibegaard]

@JustAudio2008 weird.??? he is the greatest

[LaraElegy]

I am Oscar Wilde Poetry fan.

Beautiful video and voice.

[jeremyshambles]

"a poet can survive everything but a misprint", Oscar's words are timeless and profoundly beautiful. thanks kindly for sharing this, it is perfectly wonder-full.

[kgmurray]

Irish you understand!

[meaning1]

Epigrammatical, terse yet ambiguous, and extraordinarily beautiful. One of my favourites is 'The Harlot's House'; so chilling...To dance a saraband...

[gabbers9]

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!!!:)