Claude Templer
Thy mouth is a red poppy that curls up
It’s pouting chalice tow’rds me…’tis a cup
O fCirce’s sweetest poison draught brimful.
Give methy mouth… thou that art beautiful
With Hell’s own beauty, for my heart is filled
With longing strange and strong and unfulfilled:
Give me thy mouth that I may stoop and drink
Grief and the past away,that I may sink
Deep in the drunkenness of love profane:
And if so long as that whene’er again
I thirst, thy lips lie close, the divine “love
That moves the heavens and all the stars” can’t move
My lips from thine, lust’s lang’rous opiate clings
Upon the breath of all thy kisses… Things
I used to honour, used to love are fled.
But griefis gone and the dread past lies dead,
And so thy lips lie close to meet my need
The whole wide world may rot and I not heed!
Ah! give me dewy kisses, flower scented,
Sin kisses far too sweet to be repented;
And passion kisses… warm and tender clinging,
And soft tear kisses, sweetest sadness bringing.
Until when passion’s reign at length be ended
Soft slumber’s kisses and thine own are blended.
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Analysis (AI Assisted)
This poem is a raw and intense exploration of desire, love, and its intertwining with grief and sin. The speaker’s yearning for the subject of their affection is expressed through bold and vivid imagery, such as comparing the mouth of the beloved to “a red poppy,” which suggests both beauty and danger, as well as a seductively potent allure. The mention of “Circe’s sweetest poison draught” is particularly striking, evoking the mythical sorceress known for her ability to transform and enchant. This metaphor captures the dual nature of love, both intoxicating and destructive, as the speaker seeks to lose themselves in this overwhelming, consuming passion.
The poem portrays a deep longing for emotional and physical connection, with the speaker’s desire to drink from the “chalice” of the lover’s mouth symbolizing a desperate attempt to forget the past, to escape grief and the weight of memories. The speaker admits to the corrupting nature of the love they seek, as they describe it as “profane,” suggesting that while the love is profound, it is also forbidden or fraught with consequences. This sense of sinfulness is central to the speaker’s experience, indicating that love, in this case, is not purely innocent or pure, but entangled with the darker, more destructive forces of lust and loss.
The poem moves through different phases of desire, from the lust-filled longing for kisses that will erase the past (“Grief and the past away”) to the acceptance of the transgressive nature of the relationship (“sin kisses far too sweet to be repented”). The kisses are described as both sensual and sorrowful, with “soft tear kisses” bringing a sense of bittersweetness and melancholic beauty. These moments of passion are framed as fleeting yet essential, offering solace in a world that may otherwise seem “rotten” to the speaker.
The final lines, which mention the blending of “soft slumber’s kisses” with the lover’s own, suggest a sense of ultimate surrender, both physically and emotionally, to the love they crave. It implies that the speaker sees no escape from this all-consuming desire, and that their longing will only end with the exhaustion of passion and the sleep that follows, as if the two are inseparable.
In summary, the poem vividly captures the complexities of desire, portraying it as both a source of pleasure and destruction. The speaker’s yearning for the lover’s kisses represents a desperate need to escape pain and find a form of solace, but it also highlights the inherent danger of this love—a love that consumes and changes the person who seeks it. The use of rich, sensory imagery and references to classical myth helps to underscore the intensity and tragedy of the speaker’s experience.