Porphyria's Lover

[changeling67]

Artist

The rain set early in tonight,
The sullen wind was soon awake,
It tore the elm-tops down for spite,
And did its worst to vex the lake:
I listened with heart fit to break.
When glided in Porphyria; straight
She shut the cold out and the storm,
And kneeled and made the cheerless grate
Blaze up, and all the cottage warm;
Which done, she rose, and from her form
Withdrew the dripping cloak and shawl,
And laid her soiled gloves by, untied
Her hat and let the damp hair fall,
And, last, she sat down by my side
And called me. When no voice replied,
She put my arm about her waist,
And made her smooth white shoulder bare,
And all her yellow hair displaced,
And, stooping, made my cheek lie there,
And spread, o'er all, her yellow hair,
Murmuring how she loved me — she
Too weak, for all her heart's endeavour,
To set its struggling passion free
From pride, and vainer ties dissever,
And give herself to me forever.
But passion sometimes would prevail,
Nor could tonight's gay feast restrain
A sudden thought of one so pale
For love of her, and all in vain:
So, she was come through wind and rain.
Be sure I looked up at her eyes
Happy and proud; at last I knew
Porphyria worshiped me: surprise
Made my heart swell, and still it grew
While I debated what to do.
That moment she was mine, mine, fair,
Perfectly pure and good: I found
A thing to do, and all her hair
In one long yellow string I wound
Three times her little throat around,
And strangled her. No pain felt she;
I am quite sure she felt no pain.
As a shut bud that holds a bee,
I warily oped her lids: again
Laughed the blue eyes without a stain.
And I untightened next the tress
About her neck; her cheek once more
Blushed bright beneath my burning kiss:
I propped her head up as before,
Only, this time my shoulder bore
Her head, which droops upon it still:
The smiling rosy little head,
So glad it has its utmost will,
That all it scorned at once is fled,
And I, its love, am gained instead!
Porphyria's love: she guessed not how
Her darling one wish would be heard.
And thus we sit together now,
And all night long we have not stirred,
And yet God has not said a word!

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Such a dark tale.  The narrator meets with his lover, then kills her - why? He remains silent - she has defied convention to be with him.  She 'worships' him but there is a sense that she will conform to her station and leave him.  He wants to preserve the moment and seals it by strangling her with her own lock of hair - thus gaining absolute control of her.  He toys with her corpse with the full implication that post mortem coitus could occur.  Why would he do that?

Hmm - looking with Psychoanylitcal eyes, this is all wrapped up with Oedipal possesion of the mother figure, sex and death and a whole other host of Freudian schools of thought.

Comments

[bluegerl.livejournal.com]

I think he was afraid to let this love continue in case it changed, or left....he wanted it to be for eternity and now it couldn't change. Don't some poets or people say 'I love you to death'! He was so insecure in himself .... now he can NOW he was loved with an unchanging love.

Maybe not as deep as Freud and wishing to be back inside Mother and all that stuff... I've know someone love a kitten so much she squashed it to death. (and she was ten.)

[calico-pye.livejournal.com]

Poor Kitty - I am subscribed to Post Secret and last Sunday, a person confessed that when they were ten, they drowned a kitten because they were unhappy about their parents' divorce. I love animals, but I am a fully paid-up member of the Kitty Club :-(

My whole dissertation is about monsters and mankind's need to possess women - if they can't have exclusivity, then they either try to kill them (Bluebeard/Snow White), imprison them (Rapunzel/Cinderella) or put them to sleep (Sleeping Beauty/Snow White again).

[bluegerl.livejournal.com]

Teehee...POSSESSIONS! and in my case, my one married me. James was soooo possessive... god it was dreadful. Why? dammit.. They do tend so to do don't they. Refer to the Little Woman as MY wife.. in that tone of voice you hear so often. Like 'Er indoors'.... teehee. and in the legal business we are referred to as Chattels when they are alive or as Relicts when we are widows!!! I did NOT LIKE BEING A CHATTEL - or being used like one either!

Are women kinder to their possessions do you think? I don't think I'd kill a man for being unfaithful... its in their genes! *g*

[calico-pye.livejournal.com]

I think I should've rephrased it a little - I think that ALL of the human race can be guilty of wanting to possess another person. Monsters can be men OR women (think of the stepmothers in Cinderella or Snow White and indeed the psychotic Bluebeard). People are a product of their times and many people find the old system of male/female roles very difficult to break free from, especially if that is the only way they have seen life.

I think that a person being unfaithful is in danger of killing their significant relationship off whether they are found out or not. At the end of the day, if that is a gamble they are willing to pay, then maybe they should consider not being in a relationship at all.

I don't think guys should use genes as an excuse and no, I would not *ahem* terminate anyone, but I would freeze them out so they wish they were dead LOL :-)