1. ۱He sings.
2. ۲
3. ۳I send my heart up to thee, all my heart
4. ۴ In this my singing.
5. ۵For the stars help me, and the sea bears part;
6. ۶ The very night is clinging
7. ۷Closer to Venice' streets to leave one space
8. ۸ Above me, whence thy face
9. ۹May light my joyous heart to thee its dwelling-place.
10. ۱۰
11. ۱۱She speaks.
12. ۱۲
13. ۱۳Say after me, and try to say
14. ۱۴My very words, as if each word
15. ۱۵Came from you of your own accord,
16. ۱۶In your own voice, in your own way:
17. ۱۷"This woman's heart and soul and brain
18. ۱۸Are mine as much as this gold chain
19. ۱۹She bids me wear, which (say again)
20. ۲۰I choose to make by cherishing
21. ۲۱A precious thing, or choose to fling
22. ۲۲Over the boat-side, ring by ring."
23. ۲۳And yet once more say... no word more!
24. ۲۴Since words are only words. Give o'er!
25. ۲۵
26. ۲۶Unless you call me, all the same,
27. ۲۷Familiarly by my pet name,
28. ۲۸Which if the Three should hear you call,
29. ۲۹And me reply to, would proclaim
30. ۳۰At once our secret to them all.
31. ۳۱Ask of me, too, command me, blame--
32. ۳۲Do, break down the partition-wall
33. ۳۳'Twixt us, the daylight world beholds
34. ۳۴Curtained in dusk and splendid folds!
35. ۳۵What's left but--all of me to take?
36. ۳۶I am the Three's: prevent them, slake
37. ۳۷Your thirst! 'Tis said, the Arab sage,
38. ۳۸In practising with gems, can loose
39. ۳۹Their subtle spirit in his cruce
40. ۴۰And leave but ashes: so, sweet mage,
41. ۴۱Leave them my ashes when thy use
42. ۴۲Sucks out my soul, thy heritage!
43. ۴۳
44. ۴۴
45. ۴۵He sings.
46. ۴۶
47. ۴۷Past we glide, and past, and past!
48. ۴۸ What's that poor Agnese doing
49. ۴۹Where they make the shutters fast?
50. ۵۰ Grey Zanobi's just a-wooing
51. ۵۱To his couch the purchased bride:
52. ۵۲ Past we glide!
53. ۵۳
54. ۵۴Past we glide, and past, and past!
55. ۵۵ Why's the Pucci Palace flaring
56. ۵۶Like a beacon to the blast?
57. ۵۷ Guests by hundreds, not one caring
58. ۵۸If the dear host's neck were wried:
59. ۵۹ Past we glide!
60. ۶۰
61. ۶۱She sings.
62. ۶۲
63. ۶۳The moth's kiss, first!
64. ۶۴Kiss me as if you made believe
65. ۶۵You were not sure, this eve,
66. ۶۶How my face, your flower, had pursed
67. ۶۷Its petals up; so, here and there
68. ۶۸You brush it, till I grow aware
69. ۶۹Who wants me, and wide ope I burst..
70. ۷۰
71. ۷۱The bee's kiss, now!
72. ۷۲Kiss me as if you entered ...
73. ۷۳My heart at some noonday,
74. ۷۴A bud that dares not disallow
75. ۷۵The claim, so all is rendered up,
76. ۷۶And passively its shattered cup
77. ۷۷Over your head to sleep I bow.
78. ۷۸
79. ۷۹He sings.
80. ۸۰
81. ۸۱What are we two?
82. ۸۲I am a Jew,
83. ۸۳And carry thee, farther than friends can pursue,
84. ۸۴To a feast of our tribe;
85. ۸۵Where they need thee to bribe
86. ۸۶The devil that blasts them unless he imbibe.
87. ۸۷Thy... Scatter the vision for ever! And now
88. ۸۸As of old, I am I, thou art thou!
89. ۸۹
90. ۹۰Say again, what we are?
91. ۹۱The sprite of a star,
92. ۹۲I lure thee above where the destinies bar
93. ۹۳My plumes their full play
94. ۹۴Till a ruddier ray
95. ۹۵Than my pale one announce there is withering away
96. ۹۶Some... Scatter the vision forever! And now,
97. ۹۷As of old, I am I, thou art thou!
98. ۹۸
99. ۹۹He muses.
100. ۱۰۰
101. ۱۰۱Oh, which were best, to roam or rest?
102. ۱۰۲The land's lap or the water's ...?
103. ۱۰۳To sleep on yellow millet-sheaves,
104. ۱۰۴Or swim in lucid shallows just
105. ۱۰۵Eluding water-lily leaves,
106. ۱۰۶An inch from Death's black fingers, thrust
107. ۱۰۷To lock you, whom release he must;
108. ۱۰۸Which life were best on Summer eves?
109. ۱۰۹
110. ۱۱۰He speaks, musing.
111. ۱۱۱
112. ۱۱۲Lie back; could thought of mine improve you?
113. ۱۱۳From this shoulder let there spring
114. ۱۱۴A wing; from this, another wing;
115. ۱۱۵Wings, not legs and feet, shall move you!
116. ۱۱۶Snow-white must they spring, to blend
117. ۱۱۷With your flesh, but I intend
118. ۱۱۸They shall deepen to the end,
119. ۱۱۹Broader, into burning gold,
120. ۱۲۰Till both wings crescent-wise enfold
121. ۱۲۱Your perfect self, from 'neath your feet
122. ۱۲۲To o'er your head, where, lo, they meet
123. ۱۲۳As if a million sword-blades hurled
124. ۱۲۴Defiance from you to the world!
125. ۱۲۵
126. ۱۲۶Rescue me thou, the only real!
127. ۱۲۷And scare away this mad ideal
128. ۱۲۸That came, nor motions to depart!
129. ۱۲۹Thanks! Now, stay ever as thou art!
130. ۱۳۰
131. ۱۳۱Still he muses.
132. ۱۳۲
133. ۱۳۳What if the Three should catch at last
134. ۱۳۴Thy serenader? While there's cast
135. ۱۳۵Paul's cloak about my head, and fast
136. ۱۳۶Gian pinions me, Himself has past
137. ۱۳۷His stylet thro' my back; I reel;
138. ۱۳۸And... is it thou I feel?
139. ۱۳۹
140. ۱۴۰They trail me, these three godless knaves,
141. ۱۴۱Past every church that saints and saves,
142. ۱۴۲Nor stop till, where the cold sea raves
143. ۱۴۳By Lido's wet accursed graves,
144. ۱۴۴They scoop mine, roll me to its brink,
145. ۱۴۵And... on thy ... I sink!
146. ۱۴۶
147. ۱۴۷She replies, musing.
148. ۱۴۸
149. ۱۴۹Dip your arm o'er the boat-side, elbow-deep,
150. ۱۵۰As I do: thus: were death so unlike sleep,
151. ۱۵۱Caught this way? Death's to fear from flame or steel,
152. ۱۵۲Or poison doubtless; but from water--feel!
153. ۱۵۳Go find the bottom! Would you stay me? There!
154. ۱۵۴Now pluck a great blade of that ribbon-grass
155. ۱۵۵To plait in where the foolish jewel was,
156. ۱۵۶I flung away: since you have praised my hair,
157. ۱۵۷'Tis proper to be choice in what I wear.
158. ۱۵۸
159. ۱۵۹He speaks.
160. ۱۶۰
161. ۱۶۱Row home? must we row home? Too surely
162. ۱۶۲Know I where its front's demurely
163. ۱۶۳Over the Giudecca piled;
164. ۱۶۴Window just with window mating,
165. ۱۶۵Door on door exactly waiting,
166. ۱۶۶All's the set face of a child:
167. ۱۶۷But behind it, where's a trace
168. ۱۶۸Of the staidness and reserve,
169. ۱۶۹And formal lines without a curve,
170. ۱۷۰In the same child's playing-face?
171. ۱۷۱No two windows look one way
172. ۱۷۲O'er the small sea-water thread
173. ۱۷۳Below them. Ah, the autumn day
174. ۱۷۴I, passing, saw you overhead!
175. ۱۷۵First, out a cloud of curtain blew,
176. ۱۷۶Then a sweet cry, and last came you--
177. ۱۷۷To catch your lory that must needs
178. ۱۷۸Escape just then, of all times then,
179. ۱۷۹To peck a tall plant's fleecy seeds,
180. ۱۸۰And make me happiest of men.
181. ۱۸۱I scarce could breathe to see you reach
182. ۱۸۲So far back o'er the balcony
183. ۱۸۳To catch him ere he climbed too high
184. ۱۸۴Above you in the Smyrna peach
185. ۱۸۵That quick the round smooth cord of gold,
186. ۱۸۶This coiled hair on your head, unrolled,
187. ۱۸۷Fell down you like a gorgeous snake
188. ۱۸۸The Roman girls were wont, of old,
189. ۱۸۹When Rome there was, for coolness' sake
190. ۱۹۰To let lie curling o'er their bosoms.
191. ۱۹۱Dear lory, may his beak retain
192. ۱۹۲Ever its delicate rose stain
193. ۱۹۳As if the wounded lotus-blossoms
194. ۱۹۴Had marked their thief to know again!
195. ۱۹۵
196. ۱۹۶Stay longer yet, for others' sake
197. ۱۹۷Than mine! What should your chamber do?
198. ۱۹۸--With all its rarities that ache
199. ۱۹۹In silence while day lasts, but wake
200. ۲۰۰At night-time and their life renew,
201. ۲۰۱Suspended just to pleasure you
202. ۲۰۲Who brought against their will together
203. ۲۰۳These objects, and, while day lasts, weave
204. ۲۰۴Around them such a magic tether
205. ۲۰۵That dumb they look: your harp, believe,
206. ۲۰۶With all the sensitive tight strings
207. ۲۰۷Which dare not speak, now to itself
208. ۲۰۸Breathes slumberously, as if some elf
209. ۲۰۹Went in and out the chords, his wings
210. ۲۱۰Make murmur wheresoe'er they graze,
211. ۲۱۱As an angel may, between the maze
212. ۲۱۲Of midnight palace-pillars, on
213. ۲۱۳And on, to sow God's plagues, have gone
214. ۲۱۴Through guilty glorious Babylon.
215. ۲۱۵And while such murmurs flow, the nymph
216. ۲۱۶Bends o'er the harp-top from her shell
217. ۲۱۷As the dry limpet for the nymph
218. ۲۱۸Come with a tune he knows so well.
219. ۲۱۹And how your statues' hearts must swell!
220. ۲۲۰And how your pictures must descend
221. ۲۲۱To see each other, friend with friend!
222. ۲۲۲Oh, could you take them by surprise,
223. ۲۲۳You'd find Schidone's eager Duke
224. ۲۲۴Doing the quaintest courtesies
225. ۲۲۵To that prim saint by Haste-thee-Luke!
226. ۲۲۶And, deeper into her rock den,
227. ۲۲۷Bold Castelfranco's Magdalen
228. ۲۲۸You'd find retreated from the ken
229. ۲۲۹Of that robed counsel-keeping Ser--
230. ۲۳۰As if the Tizian thinks of her,
231. ۲۳۱And is not, rather, gravely bent
232. ۲۳۲On seeing for himself what toys
233. ۲۳۳Are these, his progeny invent,
234. ۲۳۴What litter now the board employs
235. ۲۳۵Whereon he signed a document
236. ۲۳۶That got him murdered! Each enjoys
237. ۲۳۷Its night so well, you cannot break
238. ۲۳۸The sport up, so, indeed must make
239. ۲۳۹More stay with me, for others' sake.
240. ۲۴۰
241. ۲۴۱She speaks.
242. ۲۴۲
243. ۲۴۳To-morrow, if a harp-string, say,
244. ۲۴۴Is used to tie the jasmine back
245. ۲۴۵That overfloods my room with sweets,
246. ۲۴۶Contrive your Zorzi somehow meets
247. ۲۴۷My Zanze! If the ribbon's black,
248. ۲۴۸The Three are watching: keep away!
249. ۲۴۹
250. ۲۵۰Your gondola--let Zorzi wreathe
251. ۲۵۱A mesh of water weeds about
252. ۲۵۲Its prow, as if he unaware
253. ۲۵۳Had struck some quay or bridge-foot stair!
254. ۲۵۴That I may throw a paper out
255. ۲۵۵As you and he go underneath.
256. ۲۵۶There's Zanze's vigilant taper; safe are we.
257. ۲۵۷Only one minute more to-night with me?
258. ۲۵۸Resume your past self of a month ago!
259. ۲۵۹Be you the bashful gallant, I will be
260. ۲۶۰The lady with the colder ... than snow.
261. ۲۶۱Now bow you, as becomes, nor touch my hand
262. ۲۶۲More than I touch yours when I step to land,
263. ۲۶۳And say, "All thanks, Siora!"--
264. ۲۶۴ Heart to heart
265. ۲۶۵And lips to lips! Yet once more, ere we part,
266. ۲۶۶Clasp me and make me thine, as mine thou art!
267. ۲۶۷
268. ۲۶۸ [He is surprised, and stabbed.
269. ۲۶۹
270. ۲۷۰It was ordained to be so, sweet!--and best
271. ۲۷۱Comes now, beneath thine eyes, upon thy ....
272. ۲۷۲Still kiss me! Care not for the cowards! Care
273. ۲۷۳Only to put aside thy beauteous hair
274. ۲۷۴My blood will hurt! The Three, I do not scorn
275. ۲۷۵To death, because they never lived: but I
276. ۲۷۶Have lived indeed, and so--(yet one more kiss)--can die!