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.
suzy_darling –
I got this as a free imp. I’ve always been interested in Ancient Egypt so I knew right away who Anubis was. When I first tried it on I didn’t have a clue what the scent notes were. My first overall impression was that it smelled nice, very comforting and warm. When it’s dried down it’s lovely it smells like incense/herbs that fell onto lovely warm sand. A warm and velvety scent reminds me of incense even though the scent description only says herbs. I’m not the best at describing scents and am new to BPAL but it does smell very golden, warm, incensey/herbal and velvety warm and soft. I would consider purchasing a big bottle.
[email protected] –
The notes in this scent stir up deep rooted memories – one I cannot put my finger on. With this ancient blend, who knows how old those memories are. Incense rooted in honey and cedar wafts from the skin. It is truly lovely and a bit disturbing. The only drawback with this scent is due to its potent nature, you might not wish to work out with it on because it does not blend well with sweat. However, if you keep cool, this fragrance will last all day, wafting up like a golden offering.
Velvet Lilly –
I love this scent. It’s so unique and warm. To me, it really brings a sense of history and brings the ancient to life in a “you are there” kind of living scent.
I get the warmth from the Myrrh and almost a light lemony feel, maybe the storax, then the dried herbs…. I think I get a whisper of honey as well, but everything blends so well, I’m not sure. It’s a beautiful, regal, yet inviting scent that makes me happy.
Jenna –
I got this as a free imp in my order. At first I thought I did not like it, out of the bottle it smelled like dirt and honey to me. I finally put some on and love it. A little sweet mixed with earth and something sharp like pine or herbs. It mellows to a nice sweet scent on me with the earth grounding it from being too sweet. A new favorite I believe.