VANITAS

Three queens of old in Yemen

Beside forgotten streams,

Three tall and stately women,

Dreamt three great stately dreams

Of love and power and pleasure and conquering quinqueremes.

They dreamt of love that squandered

All Egypt for a kiss,

They dreamt of fame and pondered

On proud Persepolis,

But most they yearned for the wild delights of pale Semiramis.

They had for lords and lovers

Dark kings of Araby,

Corsairs and wild sea-rovers

From many an alien lea,—

Black-bearded men who loved and fought and won them cruelly.

They reared a dreamlike palace

Stately and white and tall

As a lily's ivory chalice

Where every echoing hall

Was rumorous with rustling leaves and plashing water's fall.

There to the tinkling zither

And passionate guitars

They footed hence and hither

Beneath the breathless stars,

From bare round breast and shoulder waved their glimmering cymars.

Theirs was an empire's treasure

Of gems and rich attire,

Love had they beyond measure

And wine that burnt like fire;

Each stately queen in Yemen found verily her desire.

But beauty waned and smouldered,

Love languished into lust,

The centuries have mouldered

Their raven hair to rust,

The desert sand is over them, their darkling eyes are dust.

Their bosoms’ pride is sunken

Beneath the purple pall,

Their smooth round limbs are shrunken,

Through clasp and anklet crawl

Lithe little snakes, upon their tombs lean lizards twitch and sprawl.