Angels and Women (1924)

62 ANGELS AND WOMENthy feet; a princess shalt thou reign in mykingdom and in my heart."But lest the breath of a wicked worldshould dim the lustre of my precious pearl,I have prepared a paradise in the far West,remote from the haunts of men. No evil canencroach upon its joy, nor Deva’s glance intrudeupon its privacy. Above is the benignantsky, and in cool recesses flowers distillperfume; doves nestle in overhangingboughs; in the fountain white swans sail;and on the margin lilies nod. Thither shallAloma retire if the grandeur of royalty becomesoppressive."Then my soul became enlarged, and I replied:"O Hesperus! though I am a weakand ignorant maiden, humblest of the daughtersof men, by some power I can neither explainto another or myself, I know that thouart a Star-spirit, made for purity and glory,but now only less wicked than yon proudbeing who walks by my mother’s side. Iknow that a crisis impends in the affairs of