Never have I seen anything so languishing as
that creature. She was tall and slender, and while dancing with extreme
rapidity, had the appearance of allowing herself to be led; to see her
one would think that she would tire her partner, but such was not the
case, for she moved as though by enchantment.
On her bosom rested an enormous bouquet, the perfume of which intoxicated
me. She yielded to my encircling arms as does the Indian liana, with a
gentleness so sweet and so sympathetic that I seemed surrounded with a
perfumed veil of silk. At each turn there could be heard a light tinkling
from her metal girdle; she moved so gracefully that I thought I beheld a
beautiful star, and her smile was that of a fairy about to vanish from
human sight. The tender and voluptuous music of the dance seemed to come
from her lips, while her head, covered with a wilderness of black
tresses, bent backward as though her neck was too slender to support its
weight.
When the waltz was over I threw myself on a chair; my heart beat wildly.
"O, Heaven!" I murmured, "how can it be possible! O, superb monster! O,
beautiful reptile! How you writhe, how you coil in and out, sweet adder,
with supple and spotted skin! Thy cousin the serpent has taught thee to
coil about the tree of life, holding between thy lips the apple of
temptation. O, Melusina! Melusina! The hearts of men are thine. You know
it well, enchantress, with your soft languor that seems to suspect
nothing! You know very well that you ruin, that you destroy, you know
that he who touches you will suffer; you know that he dies who basks in
your smile, who breathes the perfume of your flowers and comes under the
magic influence of your charms; that is why you abandon yourself so
freely, that is why your smile is so sweet, your flowers so fresh; that
is why you so gently place your arms on our shoulders.
Pages:
85
86
87
88
89
90
91
92
93
94
95
96
97
98
99
100
101
102
103
104
105
106
107
108
109