Star In the West TNR.pdf - The Hermetic Library

To the vineyard comes the shower,
No sweet rain to fresh the flower,
But the thunder rain that cleaves,
Rends and ruins tender leaves.
. . . . . . . . . . . . .
Ere the crimson lips have planted
Paler roses, warmer grapes,
Ere the maiden breasts have panted,
And the sunny shapes
Flit around to bless the hour,
Comes men know not what false flower:
Ere the cup is drained, the wine
Grows unsweet, that was divine.*
*The Tale of Archais, vol. i, pp. 9, 10.
These last two lines contain the whole secret of this story. The beauty of the
clinging love of childhood is tinged with a glowing desire, the pink desire of
the bud bursts into the passionate crimson of the rose, and as in “Alice,”
“The dove gave place a moment to the swine;” – and yet hardly so! the pure
desire of man and woman in whatever state of life, the weaving of the
golden web of twain into one entity, is not lust, never was lust, never will be
lust.
According to the conventional meaning of that word, lust expresses
something unhealthy, unclean; and the love Charicles bore Archais was
certainly not that. This love, to use a good old English word, was a “lusty”
love, that is a healthy love, and not a lustful or perverted desire. The beauty
of nature, the beauty of living, and above all the bright beauty of Archais;
intoxicated him; before him whirled visions of loveliness, and as her eyes
reflected the passion of his own, as they smiled back on him all the love he
bore her, yielding, he caught her up as a flame would another, and the “iron
rod of law” grew misty, for they were one, one in body, mind and soul;
alone for that moment, sole inhabitants of this World – Infinite. The moment
is over, the girl rises up a woman, the wreath of lilies is now a crown of
roses, she has plucked the golden fruit of Eden, henceforth she is a priestess
of Sorrow; the crushed and bruised flowers cry to her “such as we were we
are not, such as thou wert thou canst never be again.” The horrid spell falls
upon her, and she writhes from his arms a snake.