The night that Eros in the Ballet Room

The night that Eros in the Ballet Room

had you perform an artful dance of love,

your eyes seemed to bring back the sun above,

so well did their bright rays dispel all gloom.

It was divine: I watched the dance resume

and break off and re-form and turn upon turn

diverge and then remerge and wind in curves

in imitation of Meander's stream.

Now it was long, now narrow, sometimes round

and sometimes pointed in the V formation

of cranes in flight escaping Winter's coldness.

I'm wrong, you did not dance: above the ground

your body flew - for once mortal creation

attained the airy nature of a goddess.