Ode to Pleasure

It came one day, on life’s narrow way


That a song fell on my ear


Its pleasant sound did quite resound


And beckoned me come and hear


At once I turned, hoping to learn


The words of the songster’s tune


And thus he came, and that sweet refrain


He began again to croon:

---

“I promise thee naught

but joy thus wrought


From all life’s richest wells,


To drink, to see, to feel, to be


These are my hedon spells;


From one glad show to the next you’ll go


With desires e’er before thy eyes;


All life thou shalt tread ne’er once tasting dread


Nor fear, not tears, nor lies


No wrong can I do, for to bring joy to you


Is my Chieftain’s goal and aim


Know I of no other way, yet of this I say


For PLEASURE is my name.”

---

The song was sweet and didst repeat


Itself on endless strain


Till thus did I be hypnotized


By its e’er repeating ‘frain


Again he did say, while leading away


Me from the path below,


And deeper still we went until


The road no longer showed


And yet did I, with glassy eye,


Follow without a thought


Of where life’s wells might thusly dwell


Or what the pleasures’ cost!


Day by day he led the way


Through forests thick and dark


And all along the joyous song


I from perfidious lips did hark:

---

“I promise thee naught but joy thus wrought


From all life’s richest wells,


To drink, to see, to feel, to be


These are my hedon spells;


From one glad show to the next you’ll go


With desires e’er before thy eyes


All life thou shalt tread ne’er once tasting dread


Nor fear, not tears, nor lies


No wrong can I do, for to bring joy to you


Is my Chieftain’s goal and aim


Know I of no other way, yet of this I say,


For PLEASURE is my name.”

---

Yet as we went on, it came with his song


That a curious hap did rise


For the tune that once had captured my trust


Seemed now but hell’s disguise


The strains of joy that once did employ


Every sense and every thought


Now were to me much darker be


With evil and terror fraught


Yet too far gone from the path I was on


Was I now to turn around


So followed I still this warbling shrill


Though wincing at every sound


For now was no doubt what the song was about


Not of desire, but of lies


To tangle and maim, to harm and to lame


Was pleasure’s plan for I!

---


Stranded and lost, suddenly the cost


Of lapsed judgment filled my frame


With terror unknown, my heart deadly groaned


As the songster called my name


“Quiet, thou fool! Thy master cruel


Hast now thy life in hand


With chains thou to bind, no one will find


Thy soul in this foul land!”


What once was light now showed forth night


As he continued his wicked strains


And thus he bound me all around,


His cords melodic ‘frains


The glad guarantee, which once lured me


Off the path so straight and true


Now bound me tight in the depths of night


To late its deceit I knew


I fought and strained, ‘twas all in vain


The binds held taut in restraint


So thus I cried and sorrowed and sighed


Til my heart itself grew faint


And all the while a sinister smile


Crept ‘cross my captor’s face


And all the time the chanted rhyme


Ceased not its mortal pace:

---

“I promise thee naught but joy thus wrought


From all life’s richest wells,


To drink, to see, to feel, to be


These are my hedon spells;


From one glad show to the next you’ll go


With desires e’er before thy eyes;


All life thou shalt tread ne’er once tasting dread


Nor fear, not tears, nor lies


No wrong can I do, for to bring joy to you


Is my Chieftain’s goal and aim


Know I of no other way, yet of this I say,


For PLEASURE is my name.”

---

To stop my ears, to cease to hear


His voice was futile try


For no matter how I struggled now


I couldst not stop his cry


Still on I strove, in that wicked grove


To fight my own way free


But try as I could, the chains still stood


Cold shackles of melody


Alas I bowed my head, and in darkest dread,


And the depths of deep despair


Made one final choice and with last threads of voice


Whispered a desperate prayer

---


And though my words were barely heard


For pain had quenched my tongue


I noticed how, for the first time now


My captor no longer sung


Could it be? Could I be free


Simply from uttering a cry


To One above, whose throne is love,


Who might look, even, upon I?


I armed by faith, my woeful wraith


Looked but pitiable to behold


For as I prayed, the chains decayed


And the binds did quite erode


Soon the sound of shaking ground


Came quickly to our ear


And the lion’s roar on the air did soar


And filled my foe with fear


Sweat and strain and unutterable pain


Showed plainly on his face


The song of his tongue forever done


Overcome by heaven's grace

One word He spake, and with that did make


My foe forever flee


The chains at my feet, our gaze now did meet


As He turned Himself toward me


At first I did dread to look at that head


And gaze into His eyes


But when He looked at me, no angst did I see


And oh, what glad surprise!


For only grace was upon His face


No judgment did I see


Only a love so true, as I had never knew


That assured me I was free


Safe from harm within His arms


He carried me onward through


The forest glade, all while He made


Me hear His love so true

I thus revived, we didst arrive


Back at the narrow lane


Where resumed my trip once doomed,


Now free of guilt and strain


Joy and light, both e’er so bright


Now assuage my every fear


And no more does the strain of pleasure’s refrain


Fall enticingly on my ear


For heaven's song now lead me on


Down this path on which I tread,

With mercies new, its words ever true,

Lead to my eternal home ahead.