This sequence introduces Adam's first wife, Lilith. Is she the Serpent who tests the androgynat primordial? Serpent (Seraph); it is said, has the same root derivation as Seraph, so Lilith may be Serpent or Seraph, as Adam, whom we invoke as Lucifer, the Light-bringer, in his pre-Eve manifestation, may be Angel or Devil.

The Lucifer-Lilith, Adam-Eve formula may be applied to all men and women, though here we follow the processus, through the characters of Elizabeth and Sir Walter, meeting and parting, Vale / Ave, through time, - specifically, a late Rome, dynastic Egypt, legendary Province, early 17th century England and contemporary London. She is the niece of the Elizabethan poet and alchymist, Sir Edward Dyer. Sir Walter secretly and mysteriously becomes her lover, during the last months of his life in the Tower of London.

After his death, Elizabeth recalls him to her, through her uncle's Art and through the alchemy of memory. Sir Walter was himself an alchymist, as history tells us, and Elizabeth identifies herself with him, although :

> I hardly knew my Lord, true we had met
> in sudden frenzy, parted in the dark,
> and all the rest was mystery and a portent.

Mystery and a portent, yes, but at the same time, there is Resurrection and the hope of Paradise.

but a volcano made earth uninhabitable, 2.
here, there ; there, here ;
but still enchantment rose

out of the sea, when in the center's tent,
or by the dunes, or in a fisher's hut,
following an implacable destiny, we met.

### III

#### ----

For us, no open door
to hearth and the hearth-fire,
the moment before, the long rest after,

but immediacy, urgency - awake? asleep? -
a chasm, a cave, a monstrous fissure
in time, a breaking of law,

time-sequence, star-sequence;
the sun stands still,
the moon unveiled, revealed,

forgets to draw the tides;
the earth will shiver and break
if we hesitate - asleep? awake?

### IV

#### ----

Yet sometimes, I would sweep the floor,
I would put daisies in a tumbler,
I would have long dreams before, long day-dreams
after

There would be no gaunt, deleted knock on the door,
or tap-tap with a riding-crop,
no galloping here and back,

but the latch would softly lift,
would softly fall,
dusk would come early come slowly,

and even dusk could wait
till night encompassed us;
dawn would come gracious, not too soon,

3.

day would come late,
and the next day and the next,
while I found pansies to take the place
of daisies,
and a spray of apple-blossom after that,
no calendar of fevered hours,
<u>Carthago delenda est</u> and the Tyrian night.

- V

------

O, we were penitent enough, God knows,
you wore the Nessus' tunic,

I, the rose with nails for petals,

underneath my robe; I pressed
the seven swords of Mary to my heart,
within the hollow of my wounded breasts;

I walked, numb with the incense,
never passed a friar or priest or brother,
but my glance fell to the pavement,

but the very stones of the cathedral floor
bore imprint of your sandals;
I must close my eyes and stare

at the rose-window, but the rose betrayed,
the glow of green and azure set aflame
the rows of kings and saints along the wall,

the stone-story of Creation and the Fall;
O, we were penitent enough, God knows,
but how revoke decrees made long ago?

4.

VI

The candle swells with weight of its own fervour,
the melting wax runs down,
to fill the hollow of the candle-holder,

and as it flames with headier heat and headier,
it seems to blaze with iridescent splendour
that I may never look upon,

prostrated as I am, in adoration;
the lashes of my eyes are wet,
my swollen eye-lids burn;

dear Lord, how long can I endure,
my cold hands clasped, my numb knees
frozen on this chapel floor ?

VII

Go now, my love, the cock has crowed again,
go now, my love, dawn touches the window-frame,
go now, my love, your face is haggard and worn,

tell to your waiting brothers, you had sworn
to do your triple penance, say, all night long,
you flayed your worn flesh, Our Lord witnessed it;

go, go my love, I join my sisters now,
trembling and weak; dear sister, one will say,
you must not try the flesh unutterably,

but if I must, I must, I'll answer her;
go now, for it is day, or soon will be,
and we will take our place within the row,

of kneeling penitants, and saints,
and we will vow again, our ancient vow,
at matins; it is day, go, go.

VIII

5.

Decades made long ago, within the purple tent,
I lay alone; he left a goblet(spiced with - what?)
within my reach; all day the village burned;

have he and his few, strength to drive them back,
or will they throng, beasts in their wild-beast pelts
great bearded giants with their threatening horns,

will they swoop and tear me, helpless, hapless here,
will they stare and laugh, see
see what has stricken Rome,

will they leer and ask in their barbaric speech,
which is best, to take her in a cage
or burn her here; will they keep

a naked, unkempt Lilith in a cage for a show
for witches and young women with fair hair ?
will he return ? I have not strength to stand.

Our ancient vow -

italics

IX

6.

Keep Lilith in a cage, curse Lilith in a Tree ?
no ; no barbaric hords nor gods can yet prevail
against the law that drags the snail across the grass,

that turns the falcon from his course,
that drives the lion until he finds
the lioness within the cave;

men gave new names to us, many names, fabulous,
but Lilith was the first that God cursed outright,
and Lucifer's became that sinister name,

flame,
while man himself rebelled and fabricated metier and
such as the thunder once alone proclaimed,
"death-dealing such as this, comes but from God";

could <u>aves</u> and could prayers control
these man-made metiers, God knows
I would be penitent enough and crawl

in sackcloth on my bleeding knees ;
but those prayers are worn threadbare ;
there must be others, bright with vivid fire,

re-vitalizing, luminous, life-bearing
and light-bringing, to compel a Star, Lucifer,
to return and save mankind.

X

7.

"They drive them past the river-bank," he said;
I must have slept, the air was soft and cool,
he stood in his blue tunic; had he come

some hour or some half-hour before I woke ?
"does Octavius keep your armour in his tent ? "
he said, "I let Octavius take my place",

(he never left his men)," and are there others here?"
I asked; "they will come later," and he took the goblet
and turned it slowly, "then, you swallowed this? "

"perhaps, I can't remember,"; "there was only
the poppy-juice, the opiate in the wine,
I left for sleep";" and you are tired," I said;

"no, never half so glad, so wide awake", he led /and far,
me to the open space before the tent, and far I saw
and far✓ the peacful contour of the winding river,

and levels where the villages had been;
it must have rained, there was no smoke/ smoke,
no breath of smouldering timbers, it was clear
stars
and / stars were as snow drifting in mid-air ...
we seemed one flambeau for the world to see,
we did not even know that we were dead.

XI

And those we left? Hermas comes first,
he made a garden on the Aventine ;
my Lord, how is it, I remember this,

for suddenly ( whose fault?) we find ourselves
crowded against a bulwark on a wharf,
buffeted by alien winds- take cover -

whose the shout- whose ships- whose men,
my Lord, why are we here -why do you shudder -
am I stronger then /, than you

than you who played the god before all men ✓