Angels and Women (1924)

62 ANGELS AND WOMEN
thy feet; a princess shalt thou reign in my
kingdom and in my heart.
"But lest the breath of a wicked world
should dim the lustre of my precious pearl,
I have prepared a paradise in the far West,
remote from the haunts of men. No evil can
encroach upon its joy, nor Deva’s glance intrude
upon its privacy. Above is the benignant
sky, and in cool recesses flowers distill
perfume; doves nestle in overhanging
boughs; in the fountain white swans sail;
and on the margin lilies nod. Thither shall
Aloma retire if the grandeur of royalty becomes
oppressive."
Then my soul became enlarged, and I replied:
"O Hesperus! though I am a weak
and ignorant maiden, humblest of the daughters
of men, by some power I can neither explain
to another or myself, I know that thou
art a Star-spirit, made for purity and glory,
but now only less wicked than yon proud
being who walks by my mother’s side. I
know that a crisis impends in the affairs of