Mine orbèd image sinks Back from thee, back from thee, As thou art fallen, methinks, Back from me, back from me. O my light-bearer, Could another fairer Lack to thee, lack to thee? Ah, ah, Heosphoros! I loved thee with the fiery love of stars Who love by burning, and by loving move, Too near the throned Jehovah not to love. Ah, ah, Heosphoros! Their brows flash fast on me from gliding cars, Pale-passioned for my loss. Ah, ah, Heosphoros! Mine orbèd heats drop cold Down from thee, down from thee, As fell thy grace of old Down from me, down from me, O my light-bearer, Is another fairer Won to thee, won to thee? Ah, ah, Heosphoros, Great love preceded loss, Known to thee, known to thee. Ah, ah! Thou, breathing thy communicable grace Of life into my light, Mine astral faces, from thine angel face, Hast inly fed, And flooded me with radiance overmuch From thy pure height. Ah, ah! Thou, with calm, floating pinions both ways spread, Erect, irradiated, Didst sting my wheel of glory On, on before thee Along the Godlight by a quickening touch! Ha, ha! Around, around the firmamental ocean I swam expanding with delirious fire! Around, around, around, in blind desire To be drawn upward to the Infinite-- Ha, ha! Until, the motion flinging out the motion To a keen whirl of passion and avidity, To a dim whirl of languor and delight, I wound in gyrant orbits smooth and white With that intense rapidity. Around, around, I wound and interwound, While all the cyclic heavens about me spun. Stars, planets, suns, and moons dilated broad, Then flashed together into a single sun, And wound, and wound in one: And as they wound I wound,--around, around, In a great fire I almost took for God. Ha, ha, Heosphoros!