BW21: Middle of the World by D.H. Lawrence

Milk Way over Mediterranean Sea by Albena Markova 

Middle of the World

by 

D. H. Lawrence

This sea will never die, neither will it grow old,

nor cease to be blue, nor in the dawn

cease to lift up its hills

and let the slim black ship of Dionysos come sailing in

with grape-vines up the mast, and dolphins leaping.

What do I care if the smoking ships

of the P. & O. and the Orient Line and all the other stinkers

cross like clock-work the Minoan distance!

They only cross, the distance never changes.

And now that the moon who gives men glistening bodies

is in her exaltation, and can look down on the sun,

I see descending from the ships at dawn

slim naked men from Cnossos, smiling the archaic smile

of those that will without fail come back again,

and kindling little fires upon the shores

and crouching, and speaking the music of lost languages.

And the Minoan Gods and the Gods of Tiryns

are heard softly laughing and chatting, as ever;

and Dionysus, young, and a stranger

leans listening on the gate, in all respect.

************************************************

Please link to your specific post and not your general blog link. In the Your Name field, type in your name and the name of the book in parenthesis. In the Your URL field leave a link to your specific post. If you don't have a blog, leave a comment telling us what you have been reading.