The Kiss
Tim Graham Lyrics
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Or seizure of malign vicissitude
For lo!
even now my lady's lips did play
With these my lips such consonant interlude
As laurelled Orpheus longed for when he wooed
The half-drawn hungering face with that last lay.
When breast to breast we clung, even I and she,--A spirit when her spirit looked through me,--A god when all our life-breath met to fan
Our life-blood, till love's emulous ardours ran,
Fire within fire, desire in deity.
The first stanza of Tim Graham's song The Kiss describes a moment of intimacy and passion shared by the singer and his lover, even as they face the specter of death. The language is highly poetic and symbolic, with references to Orpheus, the mythical Greek musician who was said to have charmed the gods with his music, and the idea of consonance, or harmony, between the two lovers' lips. The use of words like "smouldering," "sick," and "malign" suggest a sense of danger or foreboding surrounding the scene, but the lovers continue to pursue each other passionately, as if nothing else matters.
The second stanza explores the various identities that the singer assumes in relation to his lover. He feels like a child when he is under her touch, a man when they embrace, a spirit when she sees into his soul, and a god when they come together in intimacy. This suggests a complex and multi-faceted connection between the two, one that transcends the physical and enters into the realm of the divine or spiritual.
Line by Line Meaning
What smouldering senses in death's sick delay
What passions lie dormant in the inertia of death
Or seizure of malign vicissitude
Or the infliction of evil fate
For lo!
Look!
even now my lady's lips did play
Even now my lover's lips are playing
With these my lips such consonant interlude
In harmony with my own lips
As laurelled Orpheus longed for when he wooed
Like the famous poet Orpheus desired when he courted
The half-drawn hungering face with that last lay.
The face that yearned for the final song.
I was a child beneath her touch,--a man
I felt both innocent and mature in her embrace
When breast to breast we clung, even I and she,
When we hugged so tight it was almost as if we shared a body
--A spirit when her spirit looked through me,--
I felt like a spiritual being when she looked into my soul
A god when all our life-breath met to fan
I felt like a god when our intense love fueled each other
Our life-blood, till love's emulous ardours ran,
Our passion for each other matched until it overflowed
Fire within fire, desire in deity.
Our desire was insatiable and it made us feel godlike.
Contributed by Mateo D. Suggest a correction in the comments below.