Yes, injured Woman! rise, assert thy right!
Woman! too long degraded, scorned, opprest;
O born to rule in partial Law’s despite,
Resume thy native empire o’er the breast!
Go forth arrayed in panoply divine;
That angel pureness which admits no stain;
Go, bid proud Man his boasted rule resign,
And kiss the golden sceptre of thy reign.
Go, gird thyself with grace; collect thy store
Of bright artillery glancing from afar;
Soft melting tones thy thundering cannon’s roar,
Blushes and fears thy magazine of war.
Thy rights are empire: urge no meaner claim, –
Felt, not defined, and if debated, lost;
Like sacred mysteries, which withheld from fame,
Shunning discussion, are revered the most.
Try all that wit and art suggest to bend
Of thy imperial foe the stubborn knee;
Make treacherous Man thy subject, not thy friend;
Thou mayst command, but never canst be free.
Awe the licentious, and restrain the rude;
Soften the sullen, clear the cloudy brow:
Be, more than princes’ gifts, thy favours sued; –
She hazards all, who will the least allow.
But hope not, courted idol of mankind,
On this proud eminence secure to stay;
Subduing and subdued, thou soon shalt find
Thy coldness soften, and thy pride give way.
Then, then, abandon each ambitious thought,
Conquest or rule thy heart shall feebly move,
In Nature’s school, by her soft maxims taught,
That separate rights are lost in mutual love.
– Anna Lætitia Barbauld
Too long degraded, scorned, opprest: a bold, strident red chypre with sweet wild patchouli, bourbon vanilla, Tunisian neroli, tuberose, warm red currant, strawberry, and red labdanum.
ksnaum –
Lady Macbeth (Shakespeare series)
Before even opening my imp, I can already sniff an invitation to sneak into a hidden candy shop. “Try some ripened berry lollipops and cotton candies with a twist!” it whispers. What treacly treasures does Lady Macbeth have to offer?
This perfume from now on will be layered: false candy promise is replaced by sweet wine confiture and then…a twist!
Red and black currant, blueberries and cherries boiled with brown sugar and red wine.
A warm home-made jam that can cure any cold and flu….forever. Comforting yet dangerous. Too good to be true, too sweet to be safe. The scent of young blood, adventurous spirit and daring charisma. Swollen, juicy berries and wine create the first ambitious impression after I applied the perfume to my skin. They seductively whisper to all five senseses, masking seriousness and witty courage of thyme. Beauty and brain – a femme fatale combination. As the skin and fragrance work their spell, thyme starts coming out as a “twist” kept hidden until now. It makes the aroma not so sticky and mawkish, but refined and elegant. As I smell the spot of fragrance on my wrist, I feel berries in the centre and thyme gravitating towards the edges, where bare skin borders with the oil. Oh thyme! I knew your look, your taste and smell since I was a child, you are the most familiar and dear to every cup of tea I make. The next I know – I’ll try to reproduce the berry jam with Bordeaux and thyme, as I want to eat this delicious perfume.
“Lady Macbeth”, like any lady, adores garments and will stay longer on your clothes. A drop fell on my shirt and the scent stayed until I did laundry. The oil has a yellow shade and may leave a stain, so I would recommend to apply it to a piece of cotton and wear in a locket, a vessel or a little necklace bag.
reversedinindigo –
The red wine smell is very obvious in this. When it first hit skin I picked up rich fermented berries, and it settled to a fragrance that reminded me of fruit compote and honey. Not sure it suited me but could be good for someone who likes their fruit crumble with less sugar!
lzrdgrl13 –
When I first got this the scent was very much a Big Red wine (i.e. Zinfandel, Cabernet, Malbec) and I loved it. It was dark red and sexy and I felt like a goth princess when I wore it. Though I should note it faded very quickly: 3 hrs on my skin, max. Despite it’s delicious beginnings, over time it has become overly sweet and extremely medicinal and everyone says it smells like cough syrup. No more heavy red sex: now it’s a sick child. There was never any thyme or earthiness and I think that’s what it needs. I used to wear it layered with a single note, earthy, chocolate lotion and that deepened the scent profile and gave it some legs to stand on. Now it’s too sweet for me to even try anymore. Maybe if I got a chocolate scent and mixed it that would help, but currently this resides in my perfume graveyard drawer.
bloodunderrazor –
This is my mom’s favorite bpal scent. She loves it. Wine and sweet berries.
carlos –
POW!! Candy! Fruity, berry candy! The heavily scented grape Bubble-Yum of my youth. The hint of red wine only comes after a few minutes. This reminded me of when you decant and aerate a bottle of red and swish that first sip in your mouth to appreciate the bouquet. The sweetness never quite leaves and I never really got even a hint of the earthiness of thyme.
Ravenhierst –
I love this scent. Very berry smelling. It’s very strong at first, but after a while it mellows.
Nuri –
I got the imp of Lady Macbeth. The current, thyme and berries give it a surprisingly fruity affect. My first thought was of s pixie stick. A fruity candy smell. It reads young to me which may be just what you are looking for but it wasn’t my cup of tea