The Sleeping Rose (Metus' Song)

The rain set early in to-night,
  And bitter cold wrapped seam to seam,
When there I followed dreamy lights
  That stole me down a swifter stream
  To lands were people nearly dream.
And what along the dreary lies
  To where we speak and softly true
Do know the highs of sleepy cries
  Where all the children softly do
  Sleep crying through a milky hue.
And I, a man but not a man,
  And her, a teeming little sprite,
We laughed and sang as life began,
  And poured a wine to fix the night
  As off we followed dreamy lights
To places where the sun began
  And shown its light upon the morn--
Upon the Earth, the moon, it ran;
  Upon the naked space I'd sworn
  To softly live a life reborn.
Wondering if she loved me--she
  Who knew not true my name or face,
Sending through the glass so free
  I seperate from her embrace;
  A fine divine and lovely place.
And Luna to the left of me,
  And Metus standing to the right,
We found a door along the sea
  That carved itself among the night
  And peeled out the light-to-light.
But Luna shot an eerie cry
  That pierced the even ocean sound,
And eyes of wide she softly sighed
  "The cupido is oft abound,
  And three times wrapped my neck around!"
And as she fell aross the floor
  Sweet Metus took her in his hands
And sweetly kissed her more and more
  To wipe away the soiled sand
  And lay her down across the land.
And as he held her, crying sweet,
  My body turned away around
And felt the door an aweful heat
  That touched me with a wicked sound
  And there around my neck it wound.
But here, alas, I saw it true,
  And what within the door was writ
But, "Cupido within here moves,
  And where within I shall admit
  Who cupido to here commits."
I turned to see my comrades lie
  Together on the soggy shore;
Sweet silent tears and teary sighs
  Together make a living more
  Than simply walking through a door.
I wept, I cried so heavy still,
  And with my brother Metus pained,
And held my heart as weepers will
  So wished to fall like water rained--
  For love's not worth the unexplained.
And here the door and letter grew,
  And opened spoke a light of gold,
And understanding, now, I knew
  That cupido, as letters told,
  Was simply love in times of cold.
My breath, it grew much deeper, deep,
  And filled my chest with solemn air;
And just as when the weeper weeps,
  I shook my breath as unaware
  As dying in the shade. And there
I saw a sight to never leave
  My mind, as long as living goes--
A piano black my eyes percieved
  With resting on its livid flows
  A soft and supple, silky rose.
With bitter cold wrapped seam to seam,
  I know the things that no one knows,
That in the land where people dream,
  To lie with Luna, Metus chose
  To never see the sleeping rose.