yet deserted:
That is, I’m swallowed down
By this the smallest oasis —
It opened up just yawning,
Its loveliest mouth agape,
Most sweet-odoured of all mouthlets:
Then fell I right in,
Right down, right through — in ’mong you,
Ye friendly damsels dearly loved! Selah.

Hail, hail, to that whale, fishlike,
If it thus for its guest’s convenience
Made things nice — (ye well know,
Surely, my learned allusion?)
Hail to its belly
If it had e’er
A such loveliest oasis-belly
As this is: though however I doubt about it —
With this come I out of Old-Europe,
That doubt’th more eagerly than doth any
Elderly married woman.
May the Lord improve it!
Amen!

Here do I sit now,
In this the smallest oasis,
Like a date indeed,
Brown, quite sweet, gold-suppurating,
For rounded mouth of maiden longing,
But yet still more for youthful, maidlike,
Ice-cold and snow-white and incisory
Front teeth; and for such assuredly
Pine the hearts all of ardent date-fruits. Selah.

To the there-named south-fruits now,
Similar, all-too-similar
Do I lie here; by little
Flying insects
Round- sniffled and round-played,
And also by yet littler,
Foolisher, and peccabler
Wishes and phantasies —
Environed by you,
Ye silent, presentientest
Maiden-kittens,
Dudu and Suleika —
Roundsphinxed, that into one word
I may crowd much feeling:
(Forgive me, O God
All such speech-sinning!)
Sit I here the best of air sniffling,
Paradisal air? Truly,
Bright and buoyant air, golden-mottled,
As goodly air as ever
From lunar orb downfell —
Be it by hazard,
Or supervened it by arrogancy,
As the ancient poets relate it?
But doubter, I’m now calling it
In question: with this do I come indeed
Out of Europe,
That doubt’th more eagerly than doth any
Elderly married woman.
May the Lord improve it!
Amen.

This the finest air drinking,
With nostrils out-swelled like goblets,
Lacking future, lacking remembrances,
Thus do I sit here, ye
Friendly damsels dearly loved,
And look at the palm-tree there,
How it, to a dance-girl like,
Doth bow and bend and on its haunches bob —
One doth it too, when one view’th it long —
To a dance-girl like, who as it seem’th to me,
Too long, and dangerously persistent,
Always, always, just on single leg hath stood —
Then forgot she thereby, as it seem’th to me,
The other leg?
For vainly I, at least,
Did search for the amissing
Fellow- jewel —
Namely, the other leg —
In the sanctified precincts,
Nigh her very dearest, very tenderest,
Flapping and fluttering and flickering skirting.
Yea if ye should, ye beauteous friendly ones,
Quite take my word:
She hath alas, lost it!
Hu! Hu! Hu! Hu! Hu!
It is away!
For ever away!
The other leg!
Oh, pity for that loveliest other leg!
Where may it now tarry, all-forsaken weeping,
The lonesomest leg?
In fear perhaps before a
Furious, yellow, blond and curled
Leonine monster? Or perhaps even
Gnawed away, nibbled badly —
Most wretched woeful! Woeful! Nibbled badly! Selah.

Oh, weep ye not,
Gentle spirits!
Weep ye not, ye
Date-fruit spirits!
Milk-bosoms!
Ye sweetwood-heart
Purselets!
Weep ye no more,
Pallid Dudu!
Be a man, Suleika! Bold! Bold!
— Or else should there perhaps
Something strengthening, heart-strengthening,
Here most proper be?
Some inspiring text?
Some solemn exhortation? —
Ha! Up now! Honour!
Moral honour! European honour!
Blow again, continue,
Bellows-box of virtue!
Ha! Once more thy roaring,
Thy moral roaring!
As a virtuous lion
Nigh the daughters of deserts roaring!
— For virtue’s out-howl,
Ye very dearest maidens,
Is more than every
European fervour, European hot-hunger!
And now do I stand here,
As European,
I can’t be different, God’s help to me!
Amen!

The deserts grow: woe him who doth them hide!