White Stains is a poetic work written by English author and occultist Aleister Crowley

Aleister Crowley

Aleister Crowley , born Edward Alexander Crowley, and also known as both Frater Perdurabo and The Great Beast, was an influential English occultist, astrologer, mystic and ceremonial magician, responsible for founding the religious philosophy of Thelema. He was also successful in various other...

 under the pseudonym "George Archibald Bishop". It was published in 1898 in Amsterdam

Amsterdam

Amsterdam is the largest city and the capital of the Netherlands. The current position of Amsterdam as capital city of the Kingdom of the Netherlands is governed by the constitution of August 24, 1815 and its successors. Amsterdam has a population of 783,364 within city limits, an urban population...

, The Netherlands.

White Stains contains various poems in both English and French which can also be regarded as individual works. The major part of these poems show an obviously sexual

Sex magic

Sex magic is a term for various types of sexual activity used in magical, ritualistic or otherwise religious and spiritual pursuits. One practice of sex magic is using the energy of sexual arousal or orgasm with visualization of a desired result...

 content. Crowley claimed that he had written White Stains for the purpose of rewriting Richard von Krafft-Ebing's Psychopathia Sexualis

Psychopathia Sexualis

Psychopathia Sexualis may refer to:* Psychopathia Sexualis, an 1886 book about human sexuality by Richard von Krafft-Ebing* Psychopathia Sexualis , an 1843 moral psychology book about human sexuality by Heinrich Kaan...

in a lyrical form.

The Poems

• "Dedicace" – Crowley tells of a lover whose sex is not clearly recognisable. The poem has a sado-masochistic tendency.
• "Sonnet to the Virgin Mary" – This poem is a praise to the Virgin Mary.
• "A Fragment" – This is a fragment of a theatrical work in a lyrical form. It deals with the meeting of two lovers, a man and a woman.
• "The Rainbow" – This poem is a praise to the glory of God.
• With A Copy Of "Poems and Ballads" – In this poem which is written in French Crowley pays homage to a friend who is not clearly identifiable.
• "Ad Lydiam, Ut Secum A Marito Fugeret" – This is a poem about love which contains many descriptions of nature.
• "Contra Conjugium T.B.B" – The first stanza of the poem is written in Latin. The other stanzas are written in English. It is a religious praise sung by a priest in church.
• "The Ballad Of Choosing" – This is a poem about being predestined for fame. Every stanza ends with the sentence "Thou has a guerdon, is it not for hire?".
• "A Jealous Lover" – Crowley tells of a person, his love for a woman and his (or probably her) jealousy concerning his beloved.
• "Ballade De La Jolie Marion" – Only the title of this poem is French. The poem itself is written in English. It deals with the inevitability of the end of love due to being separated from the beloved person. Every stanza ends with the refrain "We must part, and love must die."
• "At Stockholm" – This poems deals with the unnecessarity of spoken language when kisses can speak for themselves.
• "Mathilde" – This is a poem about the sex appeal that Crowley sees in the title-giving woman.
• "Yet Time To Turn" – In this poem a man remembers himself of a woman he once loved.
• "All Night" – This is a poem about sex in the night.
• "Ode To Venus Callipgye" – This poem is a praise to Venus
  Venus (mythology)
  Venus is a Roman goddess principally associated with love, beauty, sex,sexual seduction and fertility, who played a key role in many Roman religious festivals and myths...
  
  .
• "Volupté" – This poem is written in French. It is a poem about sexual desire.

External links

White Stains the full text of the book.