To Mary: I sleep with Thee

 

To Mary: I Sleep with Thee

I sleep with thee, and wake with thee, 
And yet thou art not there; 
I fill my arms with thoughts of thee, 
And press the common air. 
Thy eyes are gazing upon mine 
When thou art out of sight; 
My lips are always touching thine 
At morning, noon, and night. 
I think and speak of other things 
To keep my mind at rest, 
But still to thee my memory clings 
Like love in woman's breast. 
I hide it from the world's wide eye 
And think and speak contrary, 
But soft the wind comes from the sky 
And whispers tales of Mary. 
The night-wind whispers in my ear, 
The moon shines on my face; 
The burden still of chilling fear 
I find in every place. 
The breeze is whispering in the bush, 
And the leaves fall from the tree, 
All sighing on, and will not hush, 
Some pleasant tales of thee. 


Song [Secret Love]

I hid my love when young while I
Couldn't bear the buzzing of a fly
I hid my love to my despite
Till I could not bear to look at light
I dare not gaze upon her face
But left her memory in each place
Where ere I saw a wild flower lie
I kissed and bade my love goodbye

I met her in the greenest dells
Where dew drops pearl the wood bluebells
The lost breeze kissed her bright blue eye
The bee kissed and went singing by
A sunbeam found a passage there
A gold chain round her neck so fair
As secret as the wild bee's song
She lay there all the summer long

I hid my love in field and town
Till e'en the breeze would knock me down
The bees seemed singing ballads l'er
The fly's buss turned a Lion's roar
And even silence found a tongue
To haunt me all the summer long
The riddle nature could not prove
Was nothing else but secret love

John Clare

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