Four months already stand these fields fallow
That thickly were sheaved,
That thickly were sheaved.
Cuts the share deeply and lie the stones shallow,
Turned up the treasures we meant time to hallow,
The trees all unleaved,
The trees all unleaved.
Coincident footsteps convinced us of meaning –
I saw and believed,
I saw and believed.
Your hand for my holding, my wounds for your cleaning,
Those words for our hopes and your shoulder for leaning
And what we achieved,
O what we achieved.
The ground is all spent and now little is growing
For I’ll not plant there,
No I’ll not plant there.
Why cover the ploughings with a new Year’s sowing
Where the bones of the land are still bare and showing
And I know I still care.
I know I still care.
Poignant to me – as it was after expressing this that I felt different: while I still felt affection and gratitude, I was no longer bound in love.