In Xanadu did Kubla Khan
A stately pleasure-dome decree:
Where Alph, the sacred river, ran
Through caverns measureless to man
Down to a sunless sea.
So twice five miles of fertile ground
With walls and towers were girdled round:
And there were gardens bright with sinuous rills,
Where blossomed many an incense-bearing tree;
And here were forests ancient as the hills,
Enfolding sunny spots of greenery.
But oh! that deep romantic chasm which slanted
Down the green hill athwart a cedarn cover!
A savage place! as holy and enchanted
As e’er beneath a waning moon was haunted
By woman wailing for her demon-lover!
And from this chasm, with ceaseless turmoil seething,
As if this earth in fast thick pants were breathing,
A mighty fountain momently was forced:
Amid whose swift half-intermitted burst
Huge fragments vaulted like rebounding hail,
Or chaffy grain beneath the thresher’s flail:
And ‘mid these dancing rocks at once and ever
It flung up momently the sacred river.
Five miles meandering with a mazy motion
Through wood and dale the sacred river ran,
Then reached the caverns measureless to man,
And sank in tumult to a lifeless ocean:
And ‘mid this tumult Kubla heard from far
Ancestral voices prophesying war!
The shadow of the dome of pleasure
Floated midway on the waves;
Where was heard the mingled measure
From the fountain and the caves.
It was a miracle of rare device,
A sunny pleasure-dome with caves of ice!
A damsel with a dulcimer
In a vision once I saw:
It was an Abyssinian maid,
And on her dulcimer she played,
Singing of Mount Abora.
Could I revive within me
Her symphony and song,
To such a deep delight ‘twould win me
That with music loud and long
I would build that dome in air,
That sunny dome! those caves of ice!
And all who heard should see them there,
And all should cry, Beware! Beware!
His flashing eyes, his floating hair!
Weave a circle round him thrice,
And close your eyes with holy dread,
For he on honey-dew hath fed
And drunk the milk of Paradise.
Through sunlit caves of ice, roses unfurl amidst dancing waves of serpentine opium smoke and amber tobacco, golden sandalwood, champaca, tea leaf, sugared lily, ginger, rich hay absolute, leather, dark vanilla, mandarin, peru balsam, and Moroccan jasmine.
grateful_mama –
In the imp and immediately on my skin this was spicy and strongly floral with a green tanginess in the background. Dry it transformed into a mix of deep floral notes and sweet incense smoke. After about 2 hours it settled into its true form: stargazer lily and dark musk. This was a lovely scent, my only complaint is that after about 4 hours I could only smell it very close to my skin. At 5 hours it was gone. Worth reapplying as needed, but my favorite stage of the scent was when it hit stargazer and musk so it’s a bit of a wait.
malloreigh –
I received this in the imp along with an order of a 5mL Sin (my classic and longstanding scent) and was immediately transfixed. Mostly spice, it reminds me of what I love about Sin, but with a beautiful floral undertone. It’s actually more intense and spicy, and leaves a wonderful and unisex – almost masculine, feral – scent on my scarf so I’m reminded of it long after it fades from my skin.
artimisia –
The spices completely took over this one for me. Ran right over the lily. It smelled like I was in a gingerbread house. It wasn’t bad, but it wasn’t my thing either. Eventually the spices faded down and the lily came out to play, but by that time the perfume as a whole was starting to fade. This might have been a skin chemistry thing…maybe the scents are more balanced on other people…but I think I’m going to give this one a miss.
Jennifer –
Delightful! I can smell all the lilies when it’s on my skin. In the Imp it smells completely different. I think it goes well with my body chemistry but I am not sure it is my favourite scent for myself. I do enjoy it however. The spice takes a background to the lilies on me. I think I’ll always keep at least an Imp of this one around.
dementia_divine –
In the imp: A spicy floral (but I’m getting more spices than the floral component of the scent).
Wet: Mostly spices. I can definitely tell that it’s a lily note now that it is on my skin, but the spices are more prominent than the floral note itself. I think this contains a mild, sweet cinnamon. I have sensitive skin, but this doesn’t burn at all.
Dry: The lily note is a lot stronger now, and the spices seem softer, though they haven’t decreased in strength.
Verdict: This kind of reminds me of a mild cinnamon gum. I won’t be keeping my imp, but the description really matches the scent.
Gloame –
Smells purple and then green. And wild. Great descriptors! There’s something warm and spicy in there, something like laughter.
Strangely unisex, happy, spring.