Poem by Ella Wheeler Wilcox

A Waft of Perfume

A waft of perfume from a bit of lace,
Moved lightly by a passing woman's hand;
And on the common street, a sensuous grace
Shone suddenly from some lost time and land.

Tall structures changed to dome and parapet;
The stern faced Church an oracle became;
In sheltered alcoves, marble busts were set;
And on the wall, frail Lais wrote her name.

Phryne before her judges stood at bay,
Fearing the rigor of Athenian laws;
Till Hyperides tore her cloak away
And bade her splendid beauty plead its cause.

Great Alexander walking in the dusk,
Dreamed of the hour when Greek with Greek should meet;
From Thais' window, attar breathed, and musk;
His footsteps went no farther down the street.

Faint and more faint, the pungent perfume grew;
Of wall and parapet, remained no trace.
Temple and statue vanished from the view
The city street again was commonplace. 

1. At Eleusis
2. Intermediary
3. Queries
4. Our Lives
5. Worldly Wisdom

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