SEEKING.

 I went to look for Love among the roses, the roses,

The pretty wingèd boy with the arrow and the bow;

In the fair and fragrant¹ places,

’Mid the Muses² and the Graces,

At the feet of Aphrodite, with the roses all aglow³.

Then I sought among the shrines⁴ where the rosy⁵ flames were leaping—

The rose and golden flames, never ceasing, never still—

For the boy so fair and slender,

The imperious, the tender,

With the whole world moving slowly to the music of his will.

Sought, and found not for my seeking, till the sweet quest led me further,

And before me rose the temple, marble-based and gold above,

Where the long procession marches

’Neath the incense-clouded arches

In the world-compelling worship of the mighty⁶ God of Love.

Yea, I passed with bated breath to the holiest of holies,

And I lifted the great curtain from the Inmost,—the Most Fair,—

Eager for the joy of finding,

For the glory, beating, blinding,

Meeting but an empty darkness; darkness, silence—nothing there.

Where is Love? I cried in anguish⁷, while the temple reeled and faded;

Where is Love?—for I must find him, I must know and understand!

Died the music and the laughter,

Flames and roses dying after,

And the curtain I was holding fell to ashes in my hand.

1 fragrant   

adj.芬香的，馥郁的，愉快的

参考例句：

• The Fragrant Hills are exceptionally beautiful in late autumn.深秋的香山格外美丽。
• The air was fragrant with lavender.空气中弥漫薰衣草香。

2 muses   

v.沉思，冥想( muse的第三人称单数 )；沉思自语说（某事）

参考例句：

• We have listened too long to the courtly muses of Europe. 欧洲那种御用的诗才，我们已经听够了。 来自辞典例句
• Shiki muses that this is, at least, probably the right atmosphere. 志贵觉得这至少是正确的气氛。 来自互联网

3 aglow   

adj.发亮的；发红的；adv.发亮地

参考例句：

• The garden is aglow with many flowers.园中百花盛开。
• The sky was aglow with the setting sun.天空因夕阳映照而发红光。

4 shrines   

圣地，圣坛，神圣场所( shrine的名词复数 )

参考例句：

• All three structures dated to the third century and were tentatively identified as shrines. 这3座建筑都建于3 世纪，并且初步鉴定为神庙。
• Their palaces and their shrines are tombs. 它们的宫殿和神殿成了墓穴。

5 rosy   

adj.美好的，乐观的，玫瑰色的

参考例句：

• She got a new job and her life looks rosy.她找到一份新工作，生活看上去很美好。
• She always takes a rosy view of life.她总是对生活持乐观态度。

6 mighty   

adj.强有力的；巨大的

参考例句：

• A mighty force was about to break loose.一股巨大的力量即将迸发而出。
• The mighty iceberg came into view.巨大的冰山出现在眼前。

7 anguish   

n.(尤指心灵上的)极度痛苦，烦恼

参考例句：

• She cried out for anguish at parting.分手时，她由于痛苦而失声大哭。
• The unspeakable anguish wrung his heart.难言的痛苦折磨着他的心。