Harriet Monroe, ed. (18601936). Poetry: A Magazine of Verse. 191222. | | Incense Smoke | By Ellen Margaret Janson |
| From Tableaux ONE stick I lit in the bronzen image. | |
The smoke curls upwardlazilybetween his lips; | |
Ivory, and the frail blue of shadows. | |
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The image is speaking | |
Words of lazy dream-blue smoke | 5 |
Carved like ivory: | |
Do you remember? | |
The priests wore dragons, great jeweled dragons on their robes. | |
They sang dreamily | |
To the god of the dim temple | 10 |
Chanting, chanting | |
Through the twisted smoke of incense. | |
But the god did not stir. | |
His eyes were like opals, veiled with lost mystery! | |
The smoke curls upwarddrowsily | 15 |
Between his lips; | |
Mist-gray, and the amber of shadows. | |
|
The image is speaking. | |
Words of dim gray-gold smoke | |
Graven like amber: | 20 |
Do you remember | |
The offering you burned alone at dawn | |
To one who did not answer? | |
Across the ashes | |
You saw the sea-mist risingrising | 25 |
Like the smoke of incense, | |
And cried out with the pain in your heart. | |
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The smoke curls upwarddreamily | |
Between his lips; | |
Ivory, and the lost blue of shadows. | 30 | | |
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