Creation

Nam non in hac ærumnosa miseriarum valle, in qua ad laborem ceteri mortales nascimur, producta est. BOCCACCIO: DE CLARIS MULIERIBUS.

And God said, “Let us make a thing most fair,— A Woman with gold hair, and eyes all blue:” He took from the sun gold and made her hair, And for her eyes He took His heaven’s own hue.

He sought in every precious place and store, And gathered all sweet essences that are In all the bodies: so He made one more Her body, the most beautiful by far.

Pure coral with pure pearl engendering, Bore Her the fairest flower of the sea; And for the wonder of that new-made thing God ceaséd then, and nothing more made He.

So the beginning of her was this way: Full of sea savours, beautiful and good, Made of sun, sky, and sea,—more fair than they— On the green margin of the sea she stood.

The coral colour lasted in her veins, Made her lips rosy like a sea-shell’s rims; The purple stained her cheeks with splendid stains, And the pearl’s colour clung upon her limbs.

She took her golden hair between her hands; The faded gold and amber of the seas Dropped from it in a shower upon the sands; The crispéd hair enwrapped her like a fleece;

And through the threads of it the sun lost gold, And fell all pale upon her throat and breast With play of lights and tracings manifold: But the whole heaven shone full upon the rest.

Her curvéd shapes of shoulder and of limb, Wrought fairly round or dwindling delicate, Were carven in some substance made to dim With whiteness all things carven or create.

And every sort of fairness that was yet In work of man or God was perfected Upon that work her bosom, where were set In snows two wondrous jewelries of red.

The sun and sea made haloes of a light Most soft and glimmering, and wreathed her close Round all her wondrous shapes, and kept her bright In a fair mystery of pearl and rose.

The waves fell fawning all about her there Down to her ancles; then, with kissing sweet, Slackened and waned away in love and fear From the bright presence of her new-formed feet.

The green-gray mists were gathering away In distant hollows underneath the sun Behind the round sea; and upon that day The work of all the world-making was done.

The world beheld, and hailed her, form and face; The ocean spray, the sunlight, the pure blue Of heaven beheld and wondered at her grace; And God looked out of heaven and wondered too.

And ere a man could see her with desire, Himself looked on her so, and loved her first, And came upon her in a mist, like fire, And of her beauty quenched his god-like thirst.

He touched her wholly with his naked soul, At once sufficing all the new-made sense For ever: so the Giver Himself stole The gift, and left indeed no recompense.

All lavishly at first He did entreat His leman; yea, the world of things create He rolled like any jewel at her feet, And of her changeful whim He made a fate.

He feasted her with ease and idle food Of gods, and taught her lusts to fill the whole Of life; withal He gave her nothing good, And left her as He made her—without soul.

And lo, when he had held her for a season In His own pleasure-palaces above, He gave her unto man; this is the reason She is so fair to see, so false to love.