Say that the men of the old black tower,
Though they but feed as the goatherd feeds,
Their money spent, their wine gone sour,
Lack nothing that a soldier needs,
That all are oath-bound men:
Those banners come not in.
There in the tomb stand the dead upright,
But winds come up from the shore:
They shake when the winds roar,
Old bones upon the mountain shake.
Those banners come to bribe or threaten,
Or whisper that a man’s a fool
Who, when his own right king’s forgotten,
Cares what king sets up his rule.
If he died long ago
Why do you dread us so?
There in the tomb drops the faint moonlight,
But wind comes up from the shore:
They shake when the winds roar,
Old bones upon the mountain shake.
The tower’s old cook that must climb and clamber
Catching small birds in the dew of the morn
When we hale men lie stretched in slumber
Swears that he hears the king’s great horn.
But he’s a lying hound:
Stand we on guard oath-bound!
There in the tomb the dark grows blacker,
But wind comes up from the shore:
They shake when the winds roar,
Old bones upon the mountain shake.
A sepulchral, desolate scent. Long-dead soldiers, oath-bound; the perfume of their armor, the chill wind that surges through their tower, white bone and blackened steel: white sandalwood, ambergris, wet ozone, galbanum and leather with ebony, teak, burnt grasses, English ivy and a hint of red wine.
Marina Hazeltree –
In the bottle it smells like very sweet orange candies or an Orange Julius. However, when I put it on it transformed into a beautiful orange incense! I love this! I used the imp really quickly, I need to get a full bottle.
Tiffany Castro –
In the Bottle: Lemony amber?
On the Skin: At first I smell a delicious lemon scent. It’s tasty. Oh, it’s actually mandarin with a hint of something incense-like, must be the red sandalwood note. A bit of powdery floral kicks in. Florals have a habit of going powdery on me. An hour or so after, it smells just like a sweet old lady who used to be a neighbor of mine. Interesting! It really brought back some nice memories.
Rane. –
Recieved this as an imp. Definitely another I plan to buy. It smells like a nicely balanced floral, with a hint of juicy, mandarin bite. I also get the impression of a squeaky clean, & crisp, expensive designer label women’s perfume.
Kourtney –
Note: my personal chemistry is a bit odd and things don’t always react in an expected way. Anyways, the sandalwood went BIG and stayed that way for about an hour. The vanilla and fruit notes notes just added up to be sweet; the lily of the valley wasn’t even noticeable. The sandalwood dried down to be pleasant with the opium; the fruits have disappeared. Glad I got an imp, don’t know if I will order more.
Elizabeth –
Wow, this reminds me of a creamsicle milkshake from Model Pharmacy in ABQ, which doubles as a perfumery that has lots of luscious soaps as well. The sandalwood really complements the sweetness of the manadarin and lily. Getting a big bottle! Plus I am a jeweler whose favorite jewels are from this era. This may inspire me while I am in my studio!
amills –
It reminds me of orange-flavored bubblegum when it comes out of the bottle and first goes on, which isn’t my favorite. I like how the lily and sandalwood come out as it dries down, but it isn’t enough to make me like the scent overall.
toni.m.brasher –
This has a very pleasant smell. The first note I got was the mandarin, and it lingered for quite a while. Then sandalwood came and stayed at the forefront. I can definitely smell the vanilla and hints of lily, but it is not strongly floral. Perhaps it reacts differently on the skin of others, but I definitely found it to be more mandarin and sandalwood overall. I love sandalwood, so it worked for me.
puck_nc –
A floral that lends itself to traditional perfumes, but sweetened by the vanilla and grounded by the sandalwood. Sophisticated and classy.
Gloame –
Soft and floral-y. If you like the idea of florals, but don’t always do well with them, this is a nice balance because the vanilla warms it up. It’s still very floral, but it’s not an *Achoo!* floral.
Soft, warm, quiet, floral.