Whales Weep Not! by DH Lawrence read by Seth Hunter Perkins

Whales Weep Not!
D. H. Lawrence - 1885-1930
They say the sea is cold, but the sea contains
the hottest blood of all, and the wildest, the most urgent.
All the whales in the wider deeps, hot are they, as they urge
on and on, and dive beneath the icebergs.
The right whales, the sperm-whales, the hammer-heads, the killers
there they blow, there they blow, hot wild white breath out of
the sea!
And they rock, and they rock, through the sensual ageless ages
on the depths of the seven seas,
and through the salt they reel with drunk delight
and in the tropics tremble they with love
and roll with massive, strong desire, like gods.
Then the great bull lies up against his bride
in the blue deep bed of the sea,
as mountain pressing on mountain, in the zest of life:
and out of the inward roaring of the inner red ocean of whale-blood
the long tip reaches strong, intense, like the maelstrom-tip, and
comes to rest
in the clasp and the soft, wild clutch of a she-whale's
fathomless body.
And over the bridge of the whale's strong phallus, linking the
wonder of whales
the burning archangels under the sea keep passing, back and
forth,
keep passing, archangels of bliss
from him to her, from her to him, great Cherubim
that wait on whales in mid-ocean, suspended in the waves of the
sea
great heaven of whales in the waters, old hierarchies.
And enormous mother whales lie dreaming suckling their whale-
tender young
and dreaming with strange whale eyes wide open in the waters of
the beginning and the end.
And bull-whales gather their women and whale-calves in a ring
when danger threatens, on the surface of the ceaseless flood
and range themselves like great fierce Seraphim facing the threat
encircling their huddled monsters of love.
And all this happens in the sea, in the salt
where God is also love, but without words:
and Aphrodite is the wife of whales
most happy, happy she!
and Venus among the fishes skips and is a she-dolphin
she is the gay, delighted porpoise sporting with love and the sea
she is the female tunny-fish, round and happy among the males
and dense with happy blood, dark rainbow bliss in the sea.

[@lilliannieswender266]

I think this is one of Lawrence's best poems. You read it perfectly, thank you.

[@PoetrySpokencom]

thank you, Lillian!

[@Veronicapoet]

Wow. That was incredible. Your passion and emotion was palpable. It also felt spiritual in the moments when he's writing about archangels. It was a mixture of awe and reverance for the wild wonders of the sea, and you definitely do it justice. Great work helping people rediscover this poem or discover it for the first time.

[@zerocalculationwoodart5496]

I just heard the phrase on star trek IV: the voyage home film 😅

[@PoetrySpokencom]

YES! Everything I learned about Shakespeare and poetry came from Star Trek! (see "Sea Fever", also from ST IV)

[@jarrodlacy9856]

Thumbs up.

[@PoetrySpokencom]

Thanks, Jarrod!

[@TheBlidget]

Also so glad this channel is active again. I missed you while you were gone 💔

[@PoetrySpokencom]

thank you : ) This comment made my evening.

[@Dragonalynn]

You are welcome, and Thank You. Well done, Sir.

[@PoetrySpokencom]

thank you for that! : ) More coming shortly.

[@Dragonalynn]

@@PoetrySpokencom I'm looking forward to it. Your voice is great.

[@dr.sanjoysarkar4938]

GREAT, YOUR VOICE IS SO BOLD, THANKS SIR

[@PoetrySpokencom]

thank you so much for taking the time to write that, Sanjoy! More coming soon.

[@dr.sanjoysarkar4938]

yah i am the first person to comment you sir

[@TheBlidget]

TIL Whales are sexy

[@PoetrySpokencom]

Whales ARE wicked-sexy!