Carrying bouquet, and handkerchief, and gloves,
Proud of her height as when she lived, she moves
With all the careless and high-stepping grace,
And the extravagant courtesan’s thin face.
Was slimmer waist e’er in a ball-room wooed?
Her floating robe, in royal amplitude,
Falls in deep folds around a dry foot, shod
With a bright flower-like shoe that gems the sod.
The swarms that hum about her collar-bones
As the lascivious streams caress the stones,
Conceal from every scornful jest that flies,
Her gloomy beauty; and her fathomless eyes
Are made of shade and void; with flowery sprays
Her skull is wreathed artistically, and sways,
Feeble and weak, on her frail vertebrae.
O charm of nothing decked in folly! they
Who laugh and name you a Caricature,
They see not, they whom flesh and blood allure,
The nameless grace of every bleached, bare bone,
That is most dear to me, tall skeleton!
Come you to trouble with your potent sneer
The feast of Life! or are you driven here,
To Pleasure’s Sabbath, by dead lusts that stir
And goad your moving corpse on with a spur?
Or do you hope, when sing the violins,
And the pale candle-flame lights up our sins,
To drive some mocking nightmare far apart,
And cool the flame hell lighted in your heart?
Fathomless well of fault and foolishness!
Eternal alembic of antique distress!
Still o’er the curved, white trellis of your sides
The sateless, wandering serpent curls and glides.
And truth to tell, I fear lest you should find,
Among us here, no lover to your mind;
Which of these hearts beat for the smile you gave?
The charms of horror please none but the brave.
Your eyes’ black gulf, where awful broodings stir,
Brings giddiness; the prudent reveller
Sees, while a horror grips him from beneath,
The eternal smile of thirty-two white teeth.
For he who has not folded in his arms
A skeleton, nor fed on graveyard charms,
Recks not of furbelow, or paint, or scent,
When Horror comes the way that Beauty went.
O irresistible, with fleshless face,
Say to these dancers in their dazzled race:
“Proud lovers with the paint above your bones,
Ye shall taste death, musk scented skeletons!
Withered Antinoüs, dandies with plump faces,
Ye varnished cadavers, and grey Lovelaces,
Ye go to lands unknown and void of breath,
Drawn by the rumour of the Dance of Death.
From Seine’s cold quays to Ganges’ burning stream,
The mortal troupes dance onward in a dream;
They do not see, within the opened sky,
The Angel’s sinister trumpet raised on high.
In every clime and under every sun,
Death laughs at ye, mad mortals, as ye run;
And oft perfumes herself with myrrh, like ye
And mingles with your madness, irony!
A gloriously elegant representation of Lady Death. Dry, bone-white orris, black musk, serpentine patchouli and our murkiest myrrh.
kamiekirk –
This is such a great scent – I see why it’s a favorite. In the bottle, it’s a very clean scent – reminds me of lemon soap with green notes. It dries down to a sweet and pleasant clean scent that’s very unisex. It’s not overtly musky or spicy. If you match your fragrance to the season, this is definitely a spring scent. I love this on both my husband and I and this will probably be our first full size.
David –
Very clean fresh citrus scent, although on myself there’s not much staying power. Despite only lasting a couple hours for myself I’d recommend it.
Tiffany Castro –
In the Imp: Definitely lemon and something like new saddle leather? It’s a clean smell.
On the Skin: Freshly cut lemon. Very clean and pristine. Something green, that must be the aloe and green tea in there. The white musk then makes it appearance. This seems like a really nice summery scent. After an hour or so I barely smell it. :c I would still get a full bottle of this because its such a lovely scent. ?
peebuki –
right out of the bottle it reminds me of the free soap you’d get at a hotel. the green tea and aloe are very center, and the lemon almost seems more like a lime. probably the freshest scent ive ever experienced. seems very universal to me if you understand, could see anyone wearing this any time or place.
Destiny –
Very lovely. Very light. On me, I get more of the tea and musk notes with a hint of lemon. I could see myself wearing this in spring.
n33k5ed –
I picked up an imp ear of Embalming Fluid at the end of winter and by the time my next pay day rolled around I was set to buy a full size. I love citrus scents and this one is neither too heavy nor too light. Ive been using it almost daily and recently even mixed a little bit into a bath bomb I was making. Absolutely looking forward to snuggling with this perky scent.
sglonder –
I was really hoping the musk would round this scent out and make it a pleasant spring/summer scent (I’m used to wearing heavier scents, but wanted to change it up for the season). From wet to dry-down all I get is cleaner. It’s not chemically in a Lysol sort of way – maybe more like the Mrs. Meyers stuff -so I guess I smell clean at least and it lasts (citrus scents tend not to last so long on me), but it’s not exactly how I want to smell.
allycollett –
Embalming Fluid is such a light lovely scent. It almost reminds me of a sort of lemony cleaner but in a good way. It mainly smells of the lemon with a hint of the musk and green tea. However on the skin, it’s not very strong. It could also make a great room scent! Defiantly one I would recommend.
etarletons –
My favourite citrus scent; I’ll be getting a bottle when my imp runs out.
Megan –
Oh, Embalming Fluid, how I love thee. This is one of my favorite BPAL scents, next to Jabberwocky. You can really smell the green tea and the lemon. Its such a sharp, fresh scent that makes my nose oh-so-happy.
artimisia –
A perfect fresh, clean scent. On me the lemon was very strong, but the tea scent lingered underneath it, grounding it and giving it depth. On me, earthy scents tend to predominate, so I was afraid as the day wore on the tea would take over. But that didn’t happen. The two scents stayed balanced the entire time. It lasted all day without reapplication too. Definitely a keeper.
Jazmine –
This scent is AHMAZING! Like freshly brewed green tea with a bright citrus note. I could not stop smelling myself while wearing it! This is a fairly subtle scent, strong when first applied, but sticking close when it dries. But I appreciated the subtlety, and every time there was a small breeze I would catch a scent of it. One of my favorites, by far!
jessicamccullough98 –
I cannot stop smelling myself. This is by far my favorite scent, period. I usually go for darker scents but Embalming Fluid called out to me. I needed to take the chance. Obviously, it smells nothing like formaldehyde. On my skin, it smells just as it does in the imp, only slightly darker (which I love). It isn’t overly citrus-y, and the green tea definitely takes center stage. For some reason, I managed to unknowingly purchase the imp at the perfect time of the season. You would think it makes for a nice summer scent. But on me, it makes a perfect autumn scent. It reminds me of crisp fall air. The light rustle of crunchy dead leaves whirling in althe breeze. The scent is therapeutic for me. It’s uplifting and calming, which is the antithesis of citrus scents. Emablming Fluid won me over the moment it went on my skin.
Hellokoi –
Smells almost identical to the other green tea & lemon blend, Shanghai, though this has a hint of soft, smooth, powdery white musk to it. Reminds me of Elizabeth Arden’s Green Tea perfume. Pleasant, clean, lemony green tea with some musk. It just doesn’t feel very unique or special to me.
Danielle –
After reading several reviews of this fragrance on the forum. I was worried that this beautiful citrus musk was going to be too fleeting for my tastes. I was wrong! Yes, the silage is low, but I’ve had embalming fluid on all day and I am still getting whiffs of. Thus, although it stays close, it does stay. Furthermore, it is a really pretty, refreshing citrusy musk. Yes, it has lemon and this comes out in the fragrance, but it does NOT smell like lemonade to me, it is too musky, floral for that. Neither does it smell like cleaning products (as avobath does to me). I can see how this is one of bpals most popular scents and I recommend giving it a go.
KeeleeHamomin –
This scent was given to me as a sample in my last order, and I am SO glad that it was! I would likely never have purchased it for myself, as it didn’t really strike my fancy. This scent is amazing, though.
In the bottle it’s very fruity but on my skin I can pick up the musk and aloe much more. Once dry it’s more musky with a hint of tea and lemon. It stays pretty strong throughout the day, and the imp has lasted me over a month. I will certainly be purchasing the full size bottle!
Gloame –
I think I like this better as a room spray. It goes very lemony on my skin. Would pair well with something with a little more presence.
Feminine, fruity, bright.
delirium23 –
I got this for {Insert Winter Holiday} and tried it out today. I am eagerly awaiting Spring to bring out this fresh and clean scent again.
Nuri –
Every BPALer has a scent they buy just for the name and one they avoid because they can’t get around the name. Embalming Fluid was one of the latter for me. I read the description but it seemed so disjointed from the feelings the name invoked. I’ve smelt Gore Shock and Ghulheim I know Beth can take her creativity to many places, some of them a little spooky. It took me a year to finally get a bottle and I’m so glad I did. Its lovely, crisp, green, a little sharp, but its all spring time and sophistication. A sure repurchase of this one.
Velvet Lilly –
This is Fresh, and Clean, and Light……but it’s also surprisingly sophisticated, luxe, and chic.
Gorgeous for a man or woman. I love how playful and light this is, but at the same time, equally at home around the jet set. I’d wear this to the beach or to tea at the Peninsula. (or for a man, drinks at the Polo Lounge) It’s just that good.