Author: Madison Julius Cawein

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    The red blood clings in her cheeks and stings
     Through their tan with a fever that lightens,
    And the clearness of heaven-born mountain springs
     In her dark eyes dusks and brightens.
    And her limbs are the limbs of an Atalanta who swings
     With the youths in the sinewy games,
    When the hot air sings thro' the hair it flings,
     And the circus roars hoarse with their names,
     As they fly to the goal that flames.

    A voice as deep as wan waters that sweep
     Thro' the musical reeds of a river;
    A song of red reapers that bind and reap,
     With the ring of curved scythes that quiver.
    The note-like lisp of the pippins that leap,
     Ripe-mellowed to gold, to the ground;
    The murmurous sleep that the cool leaves keep
     On close lips that trickle with sound.

    And sweet is the beat of her glowing feet,
     And her smiles as wide heavens are gracious;
    And the creating might of her hands of heat
     As a god's or a goddess's spacious.
    The elastic veins thro' her heart that beat
     Are rich with a perishless fire,
    And her bosoms most sweet are the ardent seat
     Of a mother that never will tire.

    Wherever she fares her soft voice bears
     High powers of being that thicken
    In fruits, as the winds made Thessalian mares
     Of old mysteriously quicken;
    The apricots' juice and the juice of the pears,
     The wine great grape-clusters hold,
    These, these are her cares, and her wealth she declares
     In her corn's vast billows of gold.

    All hail to her lips, and her fruitful hips,
     And her motherly thickness of tresses;
    All hail to the sweetness that slips and drips
     From her breasts which the light caresses.
    A toiler, whose fair arm heaps and whips
     Great chariots that heavily creak;
    A worker, who sweats on the groaning ships.
     And never grows weary or weak.

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Type of Poem: Lyric Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: This poem vividly employs nature and mythology to create an image of a woman of strength, vitality, and maternal nurturing. The poet uses rich, vivid imagery to describe her, referencing Atalanta, a heroine from Greek mythology known for her swiftness and strength, to emphasize her physical prowess and independence. The narrative tone is one of adoration and admiration, as if praising a goddess or a celestial being.

The poem's structure is consistent, maintaining a rhythmic flow that mirrors the unending cycle of nature, a theme that is also echoed in the content. The use of natural imagery, such as the "wan waters", "red reapers", and "ripe-mellowed" fruits, emphasizes her connection to the earth. These images also suggest fertility and the cycle of life, underscoring her role as a mother figure. The poet's repeated invocation of the elements — fire, water, earth, air — further adds to the woman's divine, almost elemental presence.

The poem masterfully uses personification and metaphor, attributing to the woman the "creating might of her hands of heat", likening her to a god or goddess, and her work to the natural processes that yield fruits, wine, and grain, thus highlighting her nurturing and life-giving qualities. The repeated "All hail" refrains further reinforce this sense of veneration and awe. Overall, the poem presents a powerful, vibrant portrait of a woman who embodies the strength, fertility, and continuity of nature, painted with a palette of vivid imagery and classical allusion.