Phedre

Phedre

　　（To Sarah Bernhardt）

　　How vain and dull this common world must seem

　　To such a One as thou， who should'st have talked

　　At Florence with Mirandola， or walked

　　Through the cool olives of the Academe：

　　Thou should'st have gathered reeds from a green stream

　　For Goat-foot Pan's shrill¹ piping， and have played

　　With the white girls in that Phaeacian glade²

　　Where grave Odysseus wakened from his dream.

　　Ah！ surely once some urn³ of Attic⁴ clay

　　Held thy wan⁵ dust， and thou hast come again

　　Back to this common world so dull and vain，

　　For thou wert weary of the sunless day，

　　The heavy fields of scentless⁶ asphodel，

　　The loveless lips with which men kiss in Hell.