Page:Le Tombeau de Théophile Gautier, 1873.djvu/177

A new star lighting the Lethean stream,
A new song mixed into the song supreme
     Made of all souls of singers and their might,
That makes of life and time and death a dream.

Thy star, thy song, o soul that in our sight
Wast as a sun that made for man’s delight
     Flowers and all fruits in season, being so near
The sun-god’s face, our god that gives us light.

To him of all gods that we love or fear
Thou among all men by thy name wast dear,
     Dear to the god that gives us spirit of song
To bind and bum all hearts of men that hear.

The god that makes men’s words too sweet and strong
For life or time or death to do them wrong,
     Who sealed with his thy spirit for a sign
And filled it with his breath thy whole life long.

Who made thy moist lips fiery with new wine
Pressed from the grapes of song the sovereign vine ,
     And with all love of all things loveliest
Gave thy soul power to make them more divine.

That thou might’st breathe upon the breathless rest
Of marble, till the brows and lips and breast
     Felt fall from off them as a cancelled curse
That speechless sleep wherewith they lived opprest.