The Illuminated Manuscripts of
Lilith
Wildcats shall meet with
hyenas,
goat-demons shall call to each other;
there too Lilith shall repose,
and find a place to rest.
There shall the owl nest
and lay and hatch and brood in its shadow
-- Isaiah 34:14f
Lilith Art Print Collier, John Buy at AllPosters.com |
LILITH
by Dante Gabriel
Rossetti, circa 1868
Of
Adam's first wife,
Lilith, it is told
(The witch he loved
before the gift of Eve,)
That, ere the snake's,
her sweet tongue could
deceive,
And her enchanted hair
was the first gold.
And still she sits,
young while the earth is
old,
And, subtly of herself
contemplative,
Draws men to watch the
bright web she can
weave,
Till heart and body and
life are in its hold.
The rose and poppy are
her flower; for where
Is he not found, O
Lilith, whom shed scent
And soft-shed kisses and
soft sleep shall snare?
Lo! as that youth's eyes
burned at thine, so went
Thy spell through him,
and left his straight
neck bent
And round his heart one
strangling golden hair.
(Collected Works, 216.
).
Her lute hangs shadowed
in the apple-tree,
While flashing fingers
weave the sweet-strung
spell
Between its chords; and
as the wild notes swell,
The sea-bird for those
branches leaves the sea.
But to what sound her
listening ear stoops
she?
What netherworld
gulf-whispers doth she
hear,
In answering echoes from
what planisphere,
Along the wind, along
the estuary?
She sinks into her
spell: and when full
soon
Her lips move and she
soars into her song,
What creatures of the
midmost main shall
throng
In furrowed surf-clouds
to the summoning rune:
Till he, the fated
mariner, hears her cry,
And up her rock,
bare-breasted, comes to
die?
(Collected Works 361)
Piled deep below the
screening apple-branch
They lie with bitter
apples in their hands:
And some are only
ancient bones that
blanch,
And some had ships that
last year's wind did
launch,
And some were yesterday
the lords of lands.
In the soft dell, among
the apple-trees,
High up above the hidden
pit she stands,
And there for ever
sings, who gave to
these,
That lie below, her
magic hour of ease,
And those her apples
holden in their hands.
Various
Names of Lilith Throughout History
Lilith
Lilu
Lilitia
Lillitheea
Lillu
Screeching Maid of Hell
Maid of Lilla
Lilitu
Shadowy Hell Hag
Howling Crone
Soaring Witch
Night Crone that Steals Engorged Penises
Winged She-Cat
She-Wolf
Creeping Depraved-Crone
Demonic Creeping Crone who steal child
Maid of Despair
From
The Dead Sea Scrolls
"The barren region was filled with hyenas and wild pigs that snorted and
growled to each other; then the dark mortals sprawled and groveled in
Satan's unholy house and so it came to pass that a winged woman called
Lilith came from the sky and warned man of Gods fury at his corrupt
world. 'Atone or remain beholden to the Devil' warned Lilith. Man did
not take heed and so God made his spirit needful of controlling
womankind and so he became terrified of the supremacy that lingers
within a woman's heart and thus bound her with customs and traditions
that made her dependant on man for time without end."
© HistoryofPainters.com If you like this page and wish to share
it, you are welcome to link to it, with our thanks.
If you feel you have worthwhile information you would like to
contribute we would love to hear from you. We collect essential
biographical information and artist quotes from folks all over
the globe and appreciate your participation. When submitting
please, if possible, site the source and provide English
translation. Email to
Require more facts and information
about Lilith? Poke around
every nook and cranny of
the known universe for
information this
subject.
Search Here