An Ode to Shakespeare’s “Dark Lady”| Poetry

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Her eyes are deep, the black burns bright
She walks in grace, a queen of the night.
Clothed in bright, she shines like a star
A beacon of hope, a light from afar.
Light as a feather, she sails with the wind
She commands the night; she is dun skinned.+

In a kingdom far away, beyond the wide blue sea
She dwells in her abode, fulfilled and free. 
And in that enchanted land, if you go, you’ll see
She lives and reigns with pride and glee.
Away from mistaken eyes and false compares,+
She’s loved with a love that is true and rare.

I sailed for months across the oceans’ vast.
I reached the shores and set down the mast.
A gentle wind blew over the meadows in bloom 
It lifted my spirits, freed my soul from gloom.
My weary eyes rested on a lady - robed in lilac
And I swear by Jove - beauty herself is black !++

Nearing her presence, I could hardly breathe;
At the sight of her dark hair covered in wreathe.
Pink and red roses adorned her stately crown 
A soft wind ruffled her silken lilac gown.
I spoke in a trance, in a dream, in a haze
I dared not take my eyes off her profound gaze.

I spoke of faraway lands that I left long ago;
If ever I’d return, I would never truly know.
I knew not the way to the old, familiar shore -
To my brethren and kin from the land I adore.
With tears in her eyes as she heard of my plight -
She floated towards the sea in a blob of bright light.

I followed the lilac orb that gleamed in the sky
It flickered, it circled, it swayed and soared high.
It sparkled during the day and beamed by night 
Till at last - the familiar cliffs arose in my sight.
A seraph, a cherub - to me, she was heaven-sent,
After many long years, I was at my journey’s end.

When silver white winters turn to spring every year
I sit in my garden and plant lilacs of happy cheer.
In my garden of Eden, blooms sweet maiden’s blush
In every leaf, in every petal, I feel her soft touch.
When my time here is spent, of burdens I am free,
I’ll sail back to my beloved, who lives by the sea.

+ Shakespeare Sonnet 130
++ Shakespeare Sonnet 132

© Copyright: Leah Chrestien. May 2020.  The post An ode to the Dark Lady| Poetry first appeared on The Ecstatic Storyteller. The author reserves the right to the content.