Poem-A-Day: Lais by H.D.

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Lais by H.D.   Let her who walks in Paphos take the glass, let Paphos take the mirror and the work of frosted fruit, gold apples set with silver apple-leaf, white leaf of silver wrought with vein of gilt. Let Paphos lift the mirror; let her look into the polished center of the disk. Let Paphos take the mirror: did she press flowerlet of flame-flower to the lustrous white of the white forehead? did the dark veins beat a deeper purple than the wine-deep tint of the dark flower? Did she deck black hair, one evening, with the winter-white flower of the winter-berry? Did she look (reft of her lover) at a face gone white under the chaplet of white virgin-breath? Lais, exultant, tyrannizing Greece, Lais who kept her lovers in the porch, lover on lover waiting (but to creep where the robe brushed the threshold where still sleeps Lais), so she creeps, Lais, to lay her mirror at the feet of her who reigns in Paphos. Lais has left her mirror, for she sees no longer in its depth the Lais' self that laughed exultant, tyrannizing Greece. Lais has left her mirror, for she weeps no longer, finding in its depth a face, but other than dark flame and white feature of perfect marble. Lais has left her mirror (so one wrote) to her who reigns in Paphos; Lais who laughed a tyrant over Greece, Lais who turned the lovers from the porch, that swarm for whom now Lais has no use; Lais is now no lover of the glass, seeing no more the face as once it was, wishing to see that face and finding this.       Today's poem is in the public domain. Work by H.D. Collected Poems 1912-1944 December 7, 2012 H.D. was a leader of the Imagist movement, and her work was known for its imagery, economy of language, and use of classical mythology. She published numerous volumes of poetry before her death in 1961. Related Poems from Blue Dark by Deborah Landau Ivory Black [BLACK breathing BLACK at the window] by Myriam Moscona Lamp or Mirror by Tony Barnstone Poem-A-Day started as a National Poetry Month program in 2006, delivering daily poems from newly-published poetry titles.   Due to popular demand, Poem-A-Day became a year-round program in 2010, featuring original, never-before-published poems by contemporary poets on weekdays, and classic poems on weekends.   Browse the Poem-A-Day archive for selections since 2010.  Thanks for being a part of the Academy of American Poets community. To learn about other programs, including National Poetry Month, Poem In Your Pocket Day, the annual Poets Forum, and more, visit Poets.org.

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