A Loving Art
[intro]
Can I tell you of a love so old
it tears a hole through fabric's mould
and weaves upon a saintly loom
eternal night of endless gloom
where starlight's weft is short, then dies
it's longing drawn through endless eyes
and rent upon the rocks despair
a shattered love lies bleeding there
It started with resplendent lustre
a bright, angelic, dazzling cluster
of airy dreams, and thoughts divine
set down upon an art so fine
its filigree evoked sweet tears
of joy, from angels, gods and seers
but quick, that stroke of wanton speed
did sully bliss with scenes that bleed
And through the scores and scorns of life
two lovers turned in endless strife
within the whirling wheels of time
both cursed within a spell sublime
and tossed in torment ill conceived
two lovers born on wings reprieved
may find once more that blessed morn
their bright angelic golden dawn.
[part 1]
In Floating wisps of honeyed dew,
a dream of transcendental hew,
was painted upon sweet delight,
the canvas of our second sight;
It's stroking brush swept all aside,
and stoked the fiery hearth with pride,
the artist's airy thought revealed,
a tender love before concealed;
Such promise in each heart made free,
a bright angelic rhapsody,
this psalm sung by a holy choir,
filled the artists one desire;
He seemed as if to float in air,
a golden light surrounds him there,
each perfect pigment eased upon,
a painted light, glint and shone;
Yet as the palette bore the brush,
the pigment mixed in heedless rush,
was splashed in dappled tones of care,
a backdrop lit in mottled fair;
Each brilliant luminescent stroke,
unshackled hearts from out their yoke,
and set a living scene untold,
alight with creatures bright and bold;
Into this scene's rhapsodic light,
two souls were painted with delight,
and brought to life in dreamy times,
across these variegated lines;
At once this dappled splash of colours,
immortally designed these lover's,
and sat these two in meadow sweet,
with lark and silken rose replete;
Beside them their a stream so pure,
it babbled for this love demure,
and in the air a softened mist,
to moisten lips that first were kissed;
And as the light bore fragrant hue,
the bird song bright and gentle too,
set down upon a bed of petals,
two lovers lips, to each were settled;
But all was not as it would seem,
for into this most blessed scene,
the artist's heedless rushe'd stroke,
had painted vengeful pigment's soak;
Those dark impending distant skies,
foretold of future's forlorn cries,
and dashed upon the mountains peak,
with flashing strikes of vengeance wreaked;
A dark and ill conceive'd thought
had found itself in pigment wrought,
and sped upon this tranquil scene,
a curse'd sprite of rancour mean;
The artist all at once recoiled,
and saw triumphant beauty spoiled,
betrayed by inner thoughtlessness,
he sought to remedy this mess;
So into this sweet loving art,
he splashed a golden risen heart,
a herald of some brighter dawn,
to offer hope to loves forlorn;
Descending with his wing'd mount,
the herald rose and cast about,
spying loves first sweet embrace,
as rancour too, it was a race;
Yet Who would win this divine flight,
to capture, crush, or delight,
two loves that were oblivious,
to battles born so hideous;
For lovers that rejoiced in splendour,
and supped upon a nectar tender,
might soon be schooled and torn apart,
the victims of this Loving Art:
[part 2]
A journey forged from whetted brook
glissading in that sweetened nook
of sweet delight entwined on banks
of softened moss and fragrant ranks
of Poesy, preened and primped with colour
to dress his bright and dazzled lover
with petals of a blossomed love
divine and fashioned from above
It was a golden dappled dream
enjoined beside the purest stream
of waters sent from mountain tops
to sate a thirst that never stops
for here in this sweet gentle meadow
two souls embalmed in natures halo
were spied by green and jealous eyes
that caught these captured lovers sighs
And tore them from that souls embrace
into the bursting waters face
two lovers swept off shores sublime
each finger slipped in ceaseless time
apart, such heartfelt sobs resounded
the desperate pleas as lovers floundered
in waters that now boiled and bubbled
and twisted, turned two souls now troubled
And in that whirling pool of love
that sucked beneath, and boiled above
a longing stayed within a heart
a promise made, a pilgrims start
for on the banks of that sweet motion
a multi-splendoured deep devotion
enjoined by two en-tousled lovers
beneath those dappled leafy covers
So ripped asunder, two lovers tumble
the rapids wash, the thunders rumble
for now these souls were rent apart
in endless night, in formless art
and cursed to slip away in streams
no honeyed rapture in their dreams
This memory, recalled forever
a torture formed as timeless tether
A waterfall of might and fury
a wretched judgement born unduly
where from that spring-timed babbled brook
a tempest torn, wildly mistook
and hastened over rapids tilt
until at end this tumults hilt
was flung... into an empty space,
and crashed upon this saddened place;
To rest, in Timeless pools of tears
then swept along through endless years
he prayed for deaths cold dark release
from torment that would never cease
yet every eve that bore a morn
returned recurrent cycle's born
and left in sullen bitter strife
the heartfelt sufferance of life
and she too, caught in cursed grief
found in some time, this sweet relief
that manifested love untold
could brighten up a heart left cold
for as their eyes made one last kiss
he'd sent her all his heartfelt bliss
and blessed her in that cursed time
with all his soulful might divine
Her look in that dark moments glare
rejoined in him a fleeting stare
and wing'd swept across that water
a balm to soothe his troubled halter
she blessed him too, as they departed
to soften memories they started
to slip in sips away from sorrow
and rest in dreams of gold, tomorrow
Then in that light of dark despair
a lightened wisp of honeyed air
dripped tears into those sullen streams
enjoining both with hope and dreams
that they might stand at last endured
embracing once again when lured
by melting ice flows from each heart
recalling embers at the start
and as the whirling maelstrom ripped,
this heartfelt constancy was dipped,
in mellow wine of subtle hew,
a divine balm of moistened dew;
lost longing tore him inside out
and fraught, he turned within a doubt
yet never would he be released
from folds of timeless hearts left creased
Time after time, life after life
recoiled this cursed bitter strife
neither to recall outright
the beauty of their first delight
if one remembered, the other tarried
this spell in them, in love, is harried
for always love seemed cast upon
the crashing rocks of first love gone
Just then, when all despair was kept
and all angelic tears were wept
out the floods of grief untold
into that moment, wet and cold
came risen in some seeric dawn
prophetic hope, to dash the scorn
and bind unholy eyes that damned
two lovers lost in loves wasteland
It was her heart he felt at first
as if his risen soul did burst
and slipped into a tableau bright
a long lost, vivid, soul fled sight
this seering karmic remembrance
at once began to sing and dance
but what of this ill-fated spell
was it broke?...he could not tell
For she was in the arms of love
that fearful, frightened, morning dove
who tarried in the hawks domain
too long alone, at last was slain;
Agape swelled within her breast
and through the aeons bore the test
of fated, curse'd, heart-rending loss
he would approach, the coin was tossed
[part 3]
...
© Richard Michael Parker 2009
Artwork: 'Psyche Revived by Cupid's Kiss' - Antonio Canova , Louvre, Paris.
