The wine of many seasons fed Thy mouth, and made it fair and clean; Sweet oil was poured out on thy head And ran down like cool rain between The strait close locks it melted in. The strong men and the captains knew Thy chambers wrought and fashioned With gold and covering of blue, And the blue raiment of thine head Who satest on a stately bed. All these had on their garments wrought The shape of beasts and creeping things, The body that availeth not, Flat backs of worms and veinèd wings, And the lewd bulk that sleeps and stings. Also the chosen of the years, The multitude being at ease, With sackbuts and with dulcimers And noise of shawms and psalteries Made mirth within the ears of these. But as a common woman doth, Thou didst think evil and devise; The sweet smell of thy breast and mouth Thou madest as the harlot's wise, And there was painting on thine eyes. Yea, in the woven guest-chamber And by the painted passages Where the strange gracious paintings were, State upon state of companies, There came on thee the lust of these. Because of shapes on either wall Sea-coloured from some rare blue shell At many a Tyrian interval, Horsemen on horses, girdled well, Delicate and desirable, Thou saidest: I am sick of love: Stay me with flagons, comfort me With apples for my pain thereof Till my hands gather in his tree That fruit wherein my lips would be. Yea, saidest thou, I will go up When there is no more shade than one May cover with a hollow cup, And make my bed against the sun Till my blood's violence be done. Thy mouth was leant upon the wall Against the painted mouth, thy chin Touched the hair's painted curve and fall; Thy deep throat, fallen lax and thin, Worked as the blood's beat worked therein. Therefore, O thou Aholibah, God is not glad because of thee; And thy fine gold shall pass away Like those fair coins of ore that be Washed over by the middle sea. Then will one make thy body bare To strip it of all gracious things, And pluck the cover from thine hair, And break the gift of many kings, Thy wrist-rings and thine ankle-rings. Likewise the man whose body joins To thy smooth body, as was said, Who hath a girdle on his loins And dyed attire upon his head-- The same who, seeing, worshipped, Because thy face was like the face Of a clean maiden that smells sweet, Because thy gait was as the pace Of one that opens not her feet And is not heard within the street-- Even he, O thou Aholibah, Made separate from thy desire, Shall cut thy nose and ears away And bruise thee for thy body's hire And burn the residue with fire.