Poem: The Harlot's House

We caught the tread of dancing feet,

We loitered down the moonlit street,

And stopped beneath the harlot's house.

Inside, above the din and fray,

We heard the loud musicians play

上海龙凤shlf最新地址The 'Treues Liebes Herz' of Strauss.

Like strange mechanical grotesques,

上海龙凤shlf最新地址Making fantastic arabesques,

The shadows raced across the blind.

We watched the ghostly dancers spin

To sound of horn and violin,

上海龙凤shlf最新地址Like black leaves wheeling in the wind.

Like wire-pulled automatons,

Slim silhouetted skeletons

Went sidling through the slow quadrille,

Then took each other by the hand,

And danced a stately saraband;

上海龙凤shlf最新地址Their laughter echoed thin and shrill.

Sometimes a clockwork puppet pressed

上海龙凤shlf最新地址A phantom lover to her breast,

Sometimes they seemed to try to sing.

上海龙凤shlf最新地址Sometimes a horrible marionette

上海龙凤shlf最新地址Came out, and smoked its cigarette

上海龙凤shlf最新地址Upon the steps like a live thing.

上海龙凤shlf最新地址Then, turning to my love, I said,

'The dead are dancing with the dead,

The dust is whirling with the dust.'

But she - she heard the violin,

And left my side, and entered in:

上海龙凤shlf最新地址Love passed into the house of lust.

Then suddenly the tune went false,

上海龙凤shlf最新地址The dancers wearied of the waltz,

The shadows ceased to wheel and whirl.

And down the long and silent street,

上海龙凤shlf最新地址The dawn, with silver-sandalled feet,

Crept like a frightened girl.