A debauchery of majoun, gaiac wood, katsura, dirty vanille, nicotania, fruitwood sap, candied ginger, muscenone, aphrodisiac hedione, dark tobacco, bitter cacao, burnt caramel, and absinthe blanche.
A dream of interlinking hands, of feet
Tireless to spin the unseen, fairy woof
Of the entangling waltz.
Bright eyebeams meet,
Gay laughter echoes from the vaulted roof.
Warm perfumes rise; the soft unflickering glow
Of branching lights sets off the changeful charms
Of glancing gems, rich stuffs, the dazzling snow
Of necks unkerchieft, and bare, clinging arms.
-- Emma Lazarus
Art: Bal des Quat-z’Arts by Louis Abel-Truchet, c.1903