A Vision of Womanhood

OUT in the desert, half-submerged, a sphinx
Gazed at her awful mirrored loveliness,
In the dull deep waters sunk of Lethe, fed
By the dark river of the unknown source ;
Gazed at the pure high face that answered hers,
As moon to moon, and lovely moulded curves
Of motherhood that shaped the pure white breast,
And deemed she saw herself, nor knew
That just below the shining surfaces
The woman sickened into unclean beast,
Bestial, with ravening claws and murderous strength ;
And all around were strewn the bones of men,
And eyeless sockets filled with desert dust
Of those who cursed her with a dying curse.
Then a great Angel, standing in the sun,
Smote those dull Lethe-waters and they fled,
And all her hidden shame to her lay bare ;
And in her agony she knew herself
To be half woman and half beast unclean,
That grew to her and made one shuddering flesh
With her, inextricably one with death.
And all her being burned as in a furnace,
And the cold stone was fused about her heart
Into warm blood and sweat of agony ;
While men awe-stricken gazed upon her woe.
And every kingdom wailed because of her,
And all the land was darkened for her sake.
Then as one dead before her feet I fell,
Made one with her intolerable shame.
Æons or hours did that deep trance endure ?
When the dark veil of that abysmal sleep
Was rent in twain by a loud trumpet sound,
And starting up, I saw a temple vast,
And many worshippers therein were bowed.
But on the upturned faces, I beheld
The light of a new world, and homage high.
As that a queen may render to her king,
Who owning a subjection yet remains
A majesty — such pure manhood on them lay.
And high above all worshippers enthroned,
Lo, the Egyptian woman who abode
With Death in desert places ; and behold
The beast was slain, the deathful riddle solved
That slew the man ; and throned upon men's hearts —
A wall of fire to guard her round about —
A perfect woman in her weakness rose,
And in her arms the future's child divine.