In the sphere of Venus I learned war

In The Sphere of Venus I Learned War

I have not need of sword or shield
to make you fall, to make you yield.
Just look into my dark'ning eyes
and see the shadow there that lies.

For I have seen the heavens cracked
to bleed the hearts of those attacked
by memory, the curse of soul,
surrendered to the whims' control.

I can heal, for I can feel
the jagged edges I must seal,
but you must dare to now reveal
the truth beneath the scars I peel.

Look you now, beneath my skin,
stretched taut and hot by guilty sin,
and yet I've yet to drop my quest
while pulses life within my chest.

I charge you now to bring your cup
and 'llow me now to drink it up -
your essence, presence, and your fate,
that I may merge with your estate.

Or if you lack the will to rise,
then do not tempt me with disguise,
for in my time I have grown wise
from facing fickle lovers' lies.

Please come a while and do remain
I've tools and jewels to soothe your pain,
they still are locked within my lair
for heart of gold - and not just hair.

Match me with each candored word
that I might find what was obscured,
a lover who has earned her right
to stand with me, against the night.

And we shall weave a curv'd sphere
that slips by sorrow, pain and fear -
a single thing, as we draw near,
that shows us life, in colours clear.


William F. DeVault. all rights reserved.

One of my favourite authors of all time is C.S. Lewis, author of "The Screwtape Letters" and The Chronicles of Narnia...but there is a special place in my heart for his space trilogy: "Out of the Silent Planet", "Perelandra" and "That Hideous Strength".

I named my daughter for the second book, and my son Elric carries the name of the trilogy's protagonist (based on Lewis' good friend JRR Tolkien), Ransom, as his middle name.

In a key passage in the third book, Ransom faces Merlin Ambrosius, the wizard-warrior of Arthurian legend, risen from his mystical sleep to aid in a battle against an evil technocratic organization fronting for Satan himself. Merlin tests Ransom's credentials with three questions...questions which only an ever diminshing few would know the answer to (and, in light of modern society, an incredible foreshadowing of our culture)...I paraphrase Merlin's final question:

"Who shall be pen-dragon when Lurga descends his sphere? In what sphere did he learn war?"

and Ransom's response begins:

"In the sphere of Venus I learned war..."

Lurga is the name for the world-spirit of the planet Jupiter in the books, and the world spirits of all the "good" worlds were to descend to give Merlin the final powers he would need for the battle. The "sphere of Venus" refers to the second book, in which Ransom is physically carried to Perelandra (Venus) to teach the female aspect of that world's spirit how to confront evil, and to, he himself, face off with an old friend who has been possessed with the spirit of the devil. (It would make a great movie, but since nearly all the characters are nude throughout most of the book, problematic to film.)

I have always though of myself as having "learned war" in the "sphere of Venus". No, never been there...but most of the conflicts I have been in derive from love, from loving or being loved.

This poem is about moving on, facing the scars and trophies of battles past, of dealing with the fact that I am, still, fighting for love.

And yes, stanza seven is about who you think it is about. Stanza six is about several people.

Worked on the Podcast page for the City of Legends last night...very exciting stuff...