You overlooked her too.
Now that the grave is made of mother and wife,
Now that the grave is made and lidded over with turf.
Come, delicate, overlooked virgin, come back to me
And be still,
Be glad.
I didn’t tell you to die, for nothing.
I wanted the virgin you to be home at last
In my heart.
Inside my innermost heart,
Where the virgin in woman comes home to a man.
The homeless virgin
Who never in all her life could find the way home
To that difficult innermost place in a man.
Now come west, come home,
Women I’ve loved for gentleness,
For the virginal you.
Find the way now that you never could find in life,
So I told you to die.
Virginal first and last
Is woman.
Now at this last, my love, my many a love,
You whom I loved for gentleness,
Come home to me.
They are many, and I loved them, shall always love them,
And they know it,
The virgins.
And my heart is glad to have them at last.
Now that the wife and mother and mistress is buried in earth,
In English earth,
Come home to me, my love, my loves, my many loves,
Come west to me.