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.
artimisia –
Just what it says on the tin. The frankincense is enough in the background that this smells like roses and wood. Very pleasant. Medium throw and lasts all day.
thecoffeeslayer –
This is rose all the way through on me. Well, rose and a touch of baby powder?
Lydia –
Totally fantastic! I ordered it hoping for a rose scent that wasn’t too powdery and it absolutely delivered. The frankincense added just enough “depth” to it that it was comfortably far from a flat floral scent, though it was the first thing to fade. Out of the vial, it struck me as much more tart than I would have preferred, but once it came in touch with my skin it mellowed out into a soft, ethereal scent- exactly what I wanted. I will definitely be getting the full size!
Katrina –
This is a wonderful rose. The floral notes are warm, and the incense keeps it from being cloying or too soapy. A personal favourite, will buy again.
xaglow –
I can’t sing this scents parses enough! The rose is strong without being powdery, or overly flowery. Its fresh and exactly what I’ve been looking for in the sea of rose scented perfumes. The frankincense is strongest while wet, almost at the end of the scent. Very lovely, will be buying the larger bottle.
allvirgo –
Smells like a true, fresh rose if a rose could be ‘ripe’ without being green or powdery. I don’t get much frankincense–in fact, on my skin, it smells EXACTLY like good rose turkish delight, without being very sweet.