So That’s Where That Saying Came From

The Queer Poetry of Lord Alfred Douglas

“The love that dare not speak its name” is often misattributed to Oscar Wilde, but it’s actually from a poem by Wilde’s lover, Lord Alfred Douglas.

In the poem “Two Loves”, after vivid descriptions of a garden, we meet two figures. The first is joyous and adorned with roses, the second sad and wreathed with moon flowers. We learn that one is True Love between boys and girls, and the other Shame, or as he says, “the love that dare not speak its name.”

But since it’s Pride Month, let us not linger on sadness and silenced love. Instead, I’d like to share a more sanguine poem from Lord Alfred Douglas, published in The Chameleon in December 1894.

In Praise of Shame

Last night unto my bed bethought there came 
Our lady of strange dreams, and from an urn 
She poured live fire, so that mine eyes did burn 
At the sight of it. Anon the floating fame 
Took many shapes, and one cried: “I am shame 
That walks with Love, I am most wise to turn 
Cold lips and limbs to fire; therefore discern 
And see my loveliness, and praise my name.” 

And afterwords, in radiant garments dressed 
With sound of flutes and laughing of glad lips, 
A pomp of all the passions passed along 
All the night through; till the white phantom ships 
Of dawn sailed in. Whereat I said this song, 
“Of all sweet passions Shame is the loveliest.”