Goblin Market and Other Poems (1862)/Wife to Husband
WIFE TO HUSBAND.
Pardon the faults in me,For the love of years ago:Good bye.I must drift across the sea,I must sink into the snow,I must die.
You can bask in this sun,You can drink wine, and eat:Good bye.I must gird myself and run,Though with unready feet:I must die.
Blank sea to sail upon,Cold bed to sleep in:Good bye.Whilst you clasp, I must be goneFor all your weeping:I must die.
A kiss for one friend,And a word for two,—Good bye:—A lock that you must send,A kindness you must do:I must die.
Not a word for you,Not a lock or kiss,Good bye.We, one, must part in two;Verily death is this:I must die.