My well-beloved was stripped. Knowing my whim,
She wore her tinkling gems, but naught besides:
And showed such pride as, while her luck betides,
A sultan’s favored slave may show to him.
When it lets off its lively, crackling sound,
This blazing blend of metal crossed with stone
Gives me an ecstasy I’ve only known
Where league of sound and lustre can be found.
She let herself be loved: then, drowsy-eyed,
Smiled down from her high couch in languid ease.
My love was deep and gentle as the seas
And rose to her as to a cliff the tide.
My own approval of each dreamy pose,
Like a tamed tiger, cunningly she sighted:
And candour, with lubricity united,
Gave piquancy to every one she chose.
Her limbs and hips, burnished with changing lustres
Before my eyes, clairvoyant and serene,
Swanned themselves, undulating in their sheen;
Her breasts and belly, of my vine the clusters,
Like evil angels rose, my fancy twitting,
To kill the peace which over me she’d thrown,
And to disturb her from the crystal throne
Where, calm and solitary, she was sitting.
So swerved her pelvis that, in one design,
Antiope’s white rump it seemed to graft
To a boy’s torso, merging fore and aft.
The talc on her brown tan seemed half-divine.
The lamp resigned its dying flame. Within,
The hearth alone lit up the darkened air,
And every time it sighed a crimson flare
It drowned in blood that amber-coloured skin.
Skin musk and honey, blood-red rose, orange blossom, white peach, red apple, frankincense and myrrh.
Marley Price –
my all time favorite as a consistent buyer of bpal products. my signature scent, and a repurchase or mine for years. I came across this smell at a concert when a girl in front of me put some on her neck and it was so strong, unique, and fragrant. I couldn’t get it out of my head and purchased it within the next week. it’s such a long lasting smell for me. many scents go very sweet on me which I typically stay away from already sweet or powdery smells and rather stick with spicy and stronger smells, but the initial application and dry down of it is beautiful and not alarmingly sweet. it’s such a lovely gourmand scent. so glad I had found this scent and am able to support this great brand
Lisa –
I finally got around to trying my frimp of this, fully expecting to be meh about it after reading the notes in in. I was very surprised! At first test I was really enjoying the orangeyness combined with a hint of smoke and some sort of nonspecific (to me) floral, but wasn’t picking up any sort of carnal lust. But after a second wear I can see where that’s coming from. I don’t know about lust, but I do have the confidence of having had a drink or two, and I’ve never experienced that from a perfume before. I see a full bottle in my future at some point.
Lunashayde –
On me, personally it doesn’t smell very nice at all. The black narcissus seems to go to a mix of too sweet flowers w/ baby powder, along w/ almost a dry, parchment scent. I’m sure this is a great scent for some people, sadly just not me. Again, individual results vary w/ body chemistry.
gaia.earth24 –
Not really what I would associate with carnal lust. Feels more gentle. Out of the bottle I get narcissus, soft orange, and caramel vanilla. Almost sickly sweet. Doesn’t feel super sexy. The floral notes definitely come out as it dries on the skin but they’re light and not too cloyingly FLOWERS. Does smell tasty but it really only makes me desire like a lemon tart or something. Not for me.
caitlin8811 –
When I first put this on the narcissus was almost too much, which surprised me because in the bottle the orange blossom really shines. It took an hour or two for the bar issues to chill out and let the other notes out to play, but this was a truly delicious scent once it did.
Sabrina –
I bought this and at first wasn’t super impressed. After about a week I wore it and fell into like. The more I wear it, the more I love it and will be getting a big bottle when I can. It smells so sweet and smooth and kind of naughty. My husband has told me more than once that I smell delicious while I’m wearing it. Awesome!
Elizabeth –
OMFG, this is a very erotic foody scent! I think I need a full size of this! The narcissus is dominant when wet, then the orange blossom and rich vanilla take over. Yummy….
Aimee –
This is a great unconventional but still sophisticated floral. Starts out strong and mostly narcissus, but it gets more balanced with the orange blossom as it settles–after an hour or so. This lasts way longer on me than any other BPAL scent I own. Also has more throw than most of the others I have, which admittedly aren’t usually florals so it could be a skin chemistry thing. Very sensual, but still super appropriate for daytime wear.
tigresacanela25 –
I didn’t think I’d love this, but I do. Again it’s another one that my body morphs into something completely different than the description, but magical all the same.
In the imp it smells delicious – a bright fruity/floral with a hint of sweet and a bit of spice. Wet, it fights me. It’s knockdown, drag-out fight between the orange blossom and the narcissus. It gave me a bit of a headache at that stage to be honest. It’s STRONG.
Dry: It’s indescribable, but I’m going to give it a shot. It turns into a warm, sweet, spicy, heavy floral (I’m assuming that’s the vanilla and the black narcissus) with a hint of something cold and alien underneath. I don’t know if I can say this, but it makes me think of warm bodies, hot nights, and sugar sweet kisses with an edge of danger and a lot of kink. I feel like a goddess wearing this. Sexy, dangerous and just a little bit aloof.
janiegalvin –
Very, very sexy… it’s one of those rare scents in which the individual elements blend so well, so seamlessly, that at no stage does any one overpower the others. It smells spicy, sweet, floral and musky all at the same time. Very sophisticated, and one I’ll be buying full size for as long as they keep making it!