OUR myrtle is in flower ;
Behold Love's power !
The glorious stamens' crowded force unfurled,
Cirque beyond cirque
At breathing, bee-like, and harmonious work ;
The rose-patched petals backward curled,
Falling away
To let fecundity have perfect play.
O flower, dear to the eyes
Of Aphrodite, rise
As she at once to bare, audacious bliss ;
And bid us near
Your prodigal, delicious hemisphere.
Where thousand kisses breed the kiss
That fills the room
With languor of an acid, dark perfume !