Diana, I pray you, descend
From out your sidereal court
Your pallid, strange passion to lend,
With knowledge of witchcraft and wort —
Diana, I pray you, descend!

O splendorous Queen of the Moon,
Whose brow bears the crescented tiar —
The horns that uprear through the swoon
Of dream and that glow like white fire! —
O splendorous Queen of the Moon!

Descend on the stairs of the stars,
On steps all of moonlight and mist,
Bare limbs like the palest of spars,
Red tresses by Vesper Star kissed—
Descend on the stairs of the stars!

Your marble, immaculate feet,
Diana, I pray you to place
On ground — for a Goddess unmeet! —
This violet-grown greensward to grace —
Your marble, immaculate feet!

O huntress, take up your great bow,
And lead, with the stag as your guide,
To woodlands no mortal may know,
Whose trees ancient wisdom confide.
O huntress, take up your great bow!

Diana, I pray you, descend
From out your sidereal court
Your pallid, strange passion to lend,
With knowledge of witchcraft and wort —
Diana, I pray you, descend!

[K. A. Opperman is a writer of Gothic and fantastic poetry from southern California. His work has appeared in numerous magazines and journals, and his debut book-length collection, The Crimson Tome (Hippocampus Press, 2015), is currently available in paperback from all major online retailers.]