The Flaming Heart
Well meaning readers! you that come as friends
And catch the precious name this piece pretends;
Make not too much haste to' admire
That fir-cheek't fallacy of fire.
That is a SERAPHIM, they say
And this the great TERESIA.
Readers, be rul'd by me; and make
Here a well-placed and wise mistake
You must transpose the picture quite,
And spell it wrong to read it right;
Read HIM for her, and HER for him;
And call the SAINT the SERAPHIM.
Painter, what didst thou understand
To put her dart into his hand!
See, even the years and size of him
Shows this the mother SERAPHIM.
This is the mistress flame; and duteous he
Her happy fire-works, here, comes down to see.
O most poor-spirited of men!
Had thy cold Pencil kissed her PEN
Thou couldst not so unkindly err
To show us This faint shade for HER.
Why man, this speaks pure mortal frame;
And mocks with female FROST love's manly flame.
One would suspect thou meant st to paint
Some weak, inferiour, woman saint.
But had thy pale-faced purple took
Fire from the burning cheeks of that bright Book
Thou wouldst on her have heaped up all
That could be found SERAPHICAL;
What e'er this youth of fire wears fair,
Rosy fingers, radiant hair,
Glowing cheek, and glistering wings,
All those fair and flagrant things,
But before all, that fiery DART
Had filled the Hand of this great HEART.
Do then as equal right requires,
Since HIS the blushes be, and hers the fires,
Resume and rectify thy rude design;
Undress thy Seraphim into MINE.
Redeem this injury of thy art;
Give HIM the veil,give her the dart.
Give him the veil; that he may cover
The Red cheeks of a rivall'd lover.
Asham'd that our world, now, can show
Nests of new Seraphims here below.
Give her the DART for it is she
(Fair youth) shoots both thy shaft and THEE.
Say, all ye wise and well-pierced hearts
That live and die amidst her darts,
What is't your tasteful spirits do prove
In that rare life of Her, and love?
Say and bear witness. Sends she not
A SERAPHIM at every shot?
What magazines of immortal Arms there shine!
Heav'n's great artillery in each love-spun line.
Give then the dart to her who gives the flame;
Give him the veil, who kindly takes the shame.
But if it be the frequent fate
Of worst faults to be fortunate;
If all's prescription; and proud wrong
Hearkens not to an humble song;
For all the gallantry of him,
Give me the suffering SERAPHIM.
His be the bravery of all those Bright things,
The glowing cheeks, the glistering wings;
The Rosy hand, the radiant DART;
Leave HER alone THE FLAMING HEART.
Leave her that; and thou shalt leave her
Not one loose shaft but love's whole quiver.
For in love's field was never found
A nobler weapon then a Wound.
Love's passives are his activest part.
The wounded is the wounding heart.
O HEART! The equal poise of love's both parts
Big alike with wounds and darts.
Live in these conquering leaves; live all the same;
And walk through all tongues one triumphant FLAME
Live here, great HEART; and love and die and kill;
And bleed and wound; and yield and conquer still.
Let this immortal life where it comes
Walk in a crowd of loves and MARTYRDOMS.
Let mystic DEATHS wait on't; and wise souls be
The love-slain witnesses of this life of thee.
O sweet incendiary! show here thy art,
Upon this carcase of a hard, cold, heart,
Let all thy scatter'd shafts of light, that play
Among the leaves of thy large Books of day,
Combin'd against this BREAST at once break in
And take away from me my self and sin,
This gracious Robbery shall thy bounty be;
And my best fortunes such fair spoils of me.
O thou undaunted daughter of desires!
By all thy dower of LIGHTS and FIRES;
By all the eagle in thee, all the dove;
By all thy lives and deaths of love;
By thy large draughts of intellectual day,
And by thy thirsts of love more large then they;
By all thy brim-fill'd Bowls of fierce desire,
By thy last Morning's draught of liquid fire;
By the full kingdom of that final kiss
That seiz'd thy parting Soul, and seal'd thee his;
By all the heavens thou hast in him
(Fair sister of the SERAPHIM!)
By all of HIM we have in THEE;
Leave nothing of my SELF in me.
Let me so read thy life, that I
Unto all life of mine may die.
And catch the precious name this piece pretends;
Make not too much haste to' admire
That fir-cheek't fallacy of fire.
That is a SERAPHIM, they say
And this the great TERESIA.
Readers, be rul'd by me; and make
Here a well-placed and wise mistake
You must transpose the picture quite,
And spell it wrong to read it right;
Read HIM for her, and HER for him;
And call the SAINT the SERAPHIM.
Painter, what didst thou understand
To put her dart into his hand!
See, even the years and size of him
Shows this the mother SERAPHIM.
This is the mistress flame; and duteous he
Her happy fire-works, here, comes down to see.
O most poor-spirited of men!
Had thy cold Pencil kissed her PEN
Thou couldst not so unkindly err
To show us This faint shade for HER.
Why man, this speaks pure mortal frame;
And mocks with female FROST love's manly flame.
One would suspect thou meant st to paint
Some weak, inferiour, woman saint.
But had thy pale-faced purple took
Fire from the burning cheeks of that bright Book
Thou wouldst on her have heaped up all
That could be found SERAPHICAL;
What e'er this youth of fire wears fair,
Rosy fingers, radiant hair,
Glowing cheek, and glistering wings,
All those fair and flagrant things,
But before all, that fiery DART
Had filled the Hand of this great HEART.
Do then as equal right requires,
Since HIS the blushes be, and hers the fires,
Resume and rectify thy rude design;
Undress thy Seraphim into MINE.
Redeem this injury of thy art;
Give HIM the veil,give her the dart.
Give him the veil; that he may cover
The Red cheeks of a rivall'd lover.
Asham'd that our world, now, can show
Nests of new Seraphims here below.
Give her the DART for it is she
(Fair youth) shoots both thy shaft and THEE.
Say, all ye wise and well-pierced hearts
That live and die amidst her darts,
What is't your tasteful spirits do prove
In that rare life of Her, and love?
Say and bear witness. Sends she not
A SERAPHIM at every shot?
What magazines of immortal Arms there shine!
Heav'n's great artillery in each love-spun line.
Give then the dart to her who gives the flame;
Give him the veil, who kindly takes the shame.
But if it be the frequent fate
Of worst faults to be fortunate;
If all's prescription; and proud wrong
Hearkens not to an humble song;
For all the gallantry of him,
Give me the suffering SERAPHIM.
His be the bravery of all those Bright things,
The glowing cheeks, the glistering wings;
The Rosy hand, the radiant DART;
Leave HER alone THE FLAMING HEART.
Leave her that; and thou shalt leave her
Not one loose shaft but love's whole quiver.
For in love's field was never found
A nobler weapon then a Wound.
Love's passives are his activest part.
The wounded is the wounding heart.
O HEART! The equal poise of love's both parts
Big alike with wounds and darts.
Live in these conquering leaves; live all the same;
And walk through all tongues one triumphant FLAME
Live here, great HEART; and love and die and kill;
And bleed and wound; and yield and conquer still.
Let this immortal life where it comes
Walk in a crowd of loves and MARTYRDOMS.
Let mystic DEATHS wait on't; and wise souls be
The love-slain witnesses of this life of thee.
O sweet incendiary! show here thy art,
Upon this carcase of a hard, cold, heart,
Let all thy scatter'd shafts of light, that play
Among the leaves of thy large Books of day,
Combin'd against this BREAST at once break in
And take away from me my self and sin,
This gracious Robbery shall thy bounty be;
And my best fortunes such fair spoils of me.
O thou undaunted daughter of desires!
By all thy dower of LIGHTS and FIRES;
By all the eagle in thee, all the dove;
By all thy lives and deaths of love;
By thy large draughts of intellectual day,
And by thy thirsts of love more large then they;
By all thy brim-fill'd Bowls of fierce desire,
By thy last Morning's draught of liquid fire;
By the full kingdom of that final kiss
That seiz'd thy parting Soul, and seal'd thee his;
By all the heavens thou hast in him
(Fair sister of the SERAPHIM!)
By all of HIM we have in THEE;
Leave nothing of my SELF in me.
Let me so read thy life, that I
Unto all life of mine may die.
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