A Waft Of Perfume

A waft of perfume from a bit of lace          Moved lightly by a passing woman's hand;     And on the common street, a sensuous grace          Shone suddenly from some lost time and land.     Tall structures changed to dome and parapet;          The stern-faced Church an oracle became;     In sheltered alcoves marble busts were set;          And on the wall frail Lais wrote her name.     Phryne before her judges stood at bay,          Fearing the rigour of Athenian laws;     Till Hyperides tore her cloak away,          And bade her splendid beauty plead its cause.     Great Alexander walking in the dusk,          Dreamed of the hour when Greek with Greek should meet;     From Thais' window attar breathed, and musk:          His footsteps went no farther down the street.     Faint and more faint the pungent perfume grew;          Of wall and parapet remained no trace.     Temple and statue vanished from the view:          The city street again was commonplace.