Author: Madison Julius Cawein

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    An intimation of some previous life,
    Or dark dream, in the present dim-divined,
    Of some uncertain sleep - or lived or dreamed
    In some dead life - between a dusk and dawn;

    From heathen battles to Toledo's gates,
    Far off defined, his corselet and camail,
    Damascened armet, shattered; in an eve's
    Anger of brass a galloping glitter, one
    Rode arrow-wounded. And the city caught
    A cry before him and a wail behind,
    Of walls beleaguered; battles; conquered kings;
    Triumphant Taric; broken Spain and slaves.

    And I, a Moslem slave, a miser Jew's,
    Housed near the Tagus - squalid and alone
    Save for his slave, held dear - to beat and starve - 
    Leaner than my lank shadow when the moon,
    A burning beacon, westerns; and my bones
    A visible hunger; famished with the fear,
    Soul-garb of slaves, I bore him - I, who held
    Him soul and self, more hated than his God,
    Stood silent; fools had laughed; I saw my way.

    War-time crops weapons; and the blade I bought
    Was subtly pointed. For, I knew his ways:
    The nightly nuptials of his jars of gems
    And bags of doublas - oh, I knew his ways.
    A shadow, woven in the hangings, hid
    Till time said now; gaunt from the hangings stole
    Behind him; humped and stooping so, his heart
    Clove through the faded tunic, murrey-dyed;
    Grinned exultation while the grim, slow blood
    Drenched black and darkened round the oblong wound,
    And his old face thinned grayer than morn's moon.

    Rubies from Badakhshn in rose lights dripped
    Slim tears of poppy-purple crystal; dull,
    Red, ember-pregnant, carbuncles wherein
    Fevered a captive crimson; bugles wan
    Of cat-eyed hyacinths; moon-emeralds
    With starry greenness stabbed; in limpid stains
    Of liquid lilac, Persian amethysts;
    Fire-opals savage and mesmeric with
    Voluptuous flame, long, sweet, and sensuous as
    Soft eyes of Orient women; sapphires beamed
    With talismanic violet, from tombs,
    Deev-guarded, of primordial Solimans;
    Length-agonized with fire, diamonds of
    Golconda - This, a sandaled dervise bare
    Seven days, beneath a red Arabian sun,
    Seven nights, beneath a round Arabian moon,
    Under his tongue; an Emeer's ransom, held
    Of some wild tribe.... Bleached in the perishing waste
    A Bedouin Arab found sand-strangled bones,
    A skeleton, vulture-torn, fierce in whose skull
    One blazing eye the diamond. At Aleppo
    Bartered, a bauble for his desert love. 
    Jacinth and Indian pearl, gem jolting gem,
    Flashed, rutilating in the irised light,
    A rain of splintered fire; and his head,
    Long-haired, white-sunk among them.

                                        Yet I took
    All though his eyes burned in them; though, meseemed,
    Each several jewel glared a separate curse....

    Well! dead men work us mischief from the grave.
    Richer than all Castile and yet not dare
    Drink but from cups of Roman murra, spar
    Bowl-sprayed with fibrile gold! spar sensitive
    Of poison! I, no slave, yet all a slave
    To fear a dead fool's malice! Still, how else!
    Feasting within the music of my halls,
    While perfumed beauty danced in sinuous robes,
    Diaphanous, more silken than those famed
    Of loomed Amorgos or of classic Kos,
    Draining the unflawed murrhine, Xeres-brimmed,
    Had I reeled poisoned, dying wolfsbane-slain!

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Type of Poem: Narrative Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: This poem is a vivid exploration of themes such as power, oppression, revenge, and fear. It is rich with historical and cultural references, and employs a narrative voice that brings the reader into a world of contrasts, where jewels and poverty exist side by side, where a person can be simultaneously slave and master, and where death can bring both freedom and a new form of enslavement.

The poem's tone is dense and tense, creating a sense of unease that mirrors the protagonist's lived experience. The structure of the poem is complex, with the narrative unfolding in a nonlinear fashion, weaving back and forth between the past and present, the physical and spiritual, and the external and internal. This structure is reflective of the poem's themes, underscoring the complexities and contradictions inherent in the human experience.

The poem also makes significant use of dramatic imagery and metaphor, which serve to underscore its themes. For example, the image of the protagonist, a former slave, now surrounded by wealth yet still feeling enslaved by fear, is a powerful metaphor for the lingering effects of oppression. Similarly, the repeated references to jewels and precious stones, which hold both beauty and danger, serve as a metaphor for the double-edged nature of power and wealth.

The poem's language is rich and evocative, filled with references to historical events and cultural practices. The use of specific terms and phrases, such as "Toledo's gates," "Damascened armet," and "Roman murra," lend the poem a sense of authenticity and depth, transporting the reader into a world that is at once specific and universal. This is a poem that invites multiple readings, with each new encounter revealing fresh layers of meaning and interpretation.