Djuna Barnes (Джуна Барнс)

To a Cabaret Dancer

A thousand lights had smitten her
      Into this thing;
Life had taken her and given her
       One place to sing.

She came with laughter wide and calm;
       And splendid grace;
And looked between the lights and wine
       For one fine face.

And found life only passion wide
       ’Twixt mouth and wine.
She ceased to search, and growing wise
       Became less fine.

Yet some wondrous thing within the mess
       Was held in check:—
Was missing as she groped and clung
       About his neck.

One master chord we couldn't sound
       For lost the keys,
Yet she hinted of it as she sang
       Between our knees.

We watched her come with subtle fire
       And learned feet,
Stumbling among the lustful drunk
       Yet somehow sweet.

We saw the crimson leave her cheeks
       Flame in her eyes;
For when a woman lives in awful haste
       A woman dies.

The jests that lit our hours by night
       And made them gay,
Soiled a sweet and ignorant soul
       And fouled its play.

Barriers and heart both broken—dust
       Beneath her feet.
You've passed her forty times and sneered
       Out in the street.

A thousand jibes had driven her
       To this at last;
Till the ruined crimson of her lips
       Grew vague and vast.

Until her songless soul admits
       Time comes to kill;
You pay her price and wonder why
       You need her still.

1. In Particular
2. Twilight of the Illicit
3. From Fifth Avenue up
4. In General
5. Shadows

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