Jan 21, 2014

Love (erasure poem; from William Shakespeare's "A Lover's Complaint")


From a reworded story
this double voice
fortified beauty
Time had not scythed

her levell'd eyes spheres
tied To the orbed earth

Her hair Proclaim'd pride
Hanging
she in a river weeping
applying wet to wet hands
gave the flood
silk and curious secrecy

Cried witness and damned in rage
    A reverend man
    a blusterer privileged by age

   'Father '
she says 'in me
The injury of many hath power
might spreading to myself
Love to myself
to gain grace'

That maiden made 
     him hang

    Small show of man
    his visage wavering
    without beauteous form
    falseness the sway he makes

quickly the verdict went
    his case
made not 
   his tongue did sleep
all passions in 
   his will
granted their own will

imagination in thought
labouring never touch'd
    his heart
woeful affections Reserved
Finding honour shielded

the foil
Of this jewel 
   his amorous
spoil
destined
forced
  put peril in her way

stop

rage    blood    fear

o Reason weep and cry

'This 
   man's foul
   in deceit vows defiling
   Thought and word
   bastards of his foul heart

I held
afraid
blood

Love     made not
true nor kind

shame
so much in me remains
how much reproach
my heart so much
Harm

heart wounded
Of grief
and effects of terror
but fighting
twisted weepingly
    With stone's nature hard
    Weak sickly wit made moan
    hot Of subdued desires

yield I myself
    to you
I their altar
    you

advance 
   Whose white command
   Hallow'd with sighs burning me
under you
   comes sanctified of holiest note
  Which kept cold distance and did thence remove

To spend
what is
    The thing we have not
    mastering
    Playing Playing unconstrained?'

She scars of battle
valiant her force
put out 
    Religion's eye


'How mighty you are O hear me
broken bosoms that to me belong
emptied all their fountains
I pour your ocean strong and you being strong

Must for your victory
compound love to your power
in grace
Believe when 
    they assail
All vows and consecrations giving bond 


space 


In thee    For thou art all

     wilt      inflame impediments
stand forth! Love's arms are peace
The aloe of all 
     force

Now hearts on mine depend
Feel it break with bleeding groan
    the battery
soft to that strong-bonded oath'

This said eyes were levell'd
Each cheek a river running
O how the stream gave grace

glowing
flame through water

    O father what hell
In the small tear
What rocky heart
What breast is not warm here?

    his passion
    resolved to white chastity
    Shook off he appears melting
    His poison a plenitude of

    swooning paleness
    he best
    To blush to turn white

Show nature kind

    When he most burn'd in heart
    He preach'd and praised
    concealed fiend

    cover'd


    fell.


1.16-17.14

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