The Reef Queen

I 

Ring carillon yon,

Bells of the coral hue. 

Symphony of the dawn

 Ring in red, ring in blue.

The poet has fallen in love with you.  

Oh Lady fine,

You have enchanted mine eye, 

You have me washed with wine; 

You have me for life in sigh. 

Lady mine,

I gaze on thy neck wry, 

Your parted lips carmine,

And wonder I; 

Whether tis truth, I spy,

Or whether tis but dream lie.

Oh Lady fine, 

Those enchantments thine!

A spectre of marine looks fine. 

Were you truly only of fairy air 

The sprites could not add to your beauty fair. 

Methinks you must be of light, 

Of nacre pearl and marine rite.

 I shall dance, 

This night and into the dawn's light.  

I shall dance to the sound of chance;

As the dawn kills the night in kisses white. 

I shall dance, I shall dance in delight.

Above me now orbit the planets round, 

Dancing with fate in the court of stars. 

The moon in mirror waters is crowned, 

As Venus holds the heart of Mars. 

I shall dance forever in delight, 

Til the dawn kills the sapphire night- 

With kisses dyeing the night to light.

I shall dance, as the dawn is in advance;

And from between prance 

 I shall steal a glance.

To see you bathe in the waters dyed.  

I shall be drawn; to your orbit tied. 

To the waters stained of dawn, 

Of red and coral drawn.

Chained I am to your sight;

To your beauty I must write.

Where I but king 

From my hands would pour all gold.

To you all treasure I would bring;

Every luxury made tenfold. 

But I am not king but a poet low; 

With nothing but my verse bold.

Oh I am king of woe- 

If I cannot your lips with mine own hold. 

I shall not rest 

Til every verse to you is told. 

I shall not rest 

Until my verses match gold.

Kiss me queen,

Where my verses spring forth- 

These daring lips oscine; 

Devoted only to you henceforth.

Kiss me queen, 

With colors so heavenly,

Where the coral met the dawn marine

And kissed her serenely.

Kiss me queen, 

With your red sheen. 

For you I write my poetry; 

To adorn you as jewelry. 

II 

AND YOUR HAIR,

Is adorned in gems fair, 

And perfumed of salted air,

With grace condemning me to stare.

AND YOUR EYES, 

Turquoise and green 

Make my heart capsize. 

Queen of queens: Lady Undine. 

AND YOUR LIPS, 

Are divine gifts 

holding the treasure of ships. 

Beckoning me to cliffs. 

AND YOUR NECK, 

Is the soft coral rock, 

Pulling me to a wreck 

Over lines of pale chalk.

 AND YOUR BREASTS, 

Heave with the tidal breath.

And you draw me in rests,

And you free me in death. 

III

Queen of Coral, 

With your colors so floral;

Wave over wave

Is enchanted by your spell.

  Each wave reverence gave

And rose and fell to see you belle.

And bluer they swelled- 

Til they burst out in stave.

Each a harmony held, 

And entwined melodies gave.

 So the ocean crowned you auroral;

Eternal queen of coral. 

The chorus of waves

Resonates in grottos and caves. 

The Zephir sings such hymns of sheen sateen.

The waves play sweet melody in serenade

Oh Queen of Reefs, queen of throne serene.

Hear this symphony that the ocean prayed.

These adversaries clever be 

In hymns and melodies pleasing thee. 

To offer Orpheus’s gift oscine,

to enchant you queen.

Oh were you but sylph  

My verse could stay in ink; 

And by doves be carried over cliff,

Flying my verse through the dawn pink. 

But you are queen marine; 

And thus my verse would have to sink.

Under waves to your glance unseen. 

Methinks I must my verse to a ruby link. 

And condemn it to sink towards thine lips. 

Casting my sighs into the marine eclipse.

I shall with my rubies adorn a nacre wreath; 

And at last my verse to you bequeath. 

To turn my verse into rubies 

I would renounce all other beauties. 

For you, I forsake the sky above; 

So as to devote this crude ode 

 to your soft breasts carved of love.

Those opals of marine abode,  

Throw my heart into throbs.

Thus beauty of the pearléd glove,

These inked verses will be of paper robbed- 

And turned to ruby for love. 

And to adorn you shall be duty of duties;

And your crown shall be my rubies.