I have not understood any of this
My eyes are still coaldark
Around and in my eyes the tiny flecks
Of swirling crippled confused lights
And to my heart I will whisper
"There is no death there is no death"
Under the gorgon grinnd arches
Under the sunpuckered roofs of Kathmandu
Along the soulstoned streets
Leipzig: blackeyed pain and loss: she
The empty lakes are open in the distance
And too close is the faminereatchingroad
There I have not understood
(In the Heart of the Wood
Oh there have I understood)
I rested at the temple of Great Black Time - Her
Though animalbled fleshmarbled rivers ran in Her honour
His buckled body in blood
Returns to the prebirth poise
Spreadeagled like starfish -
Incomprehension mute pain disbelief what
Blood there meant sorrow trickles there
This I could not understand
I bend the pages of yet another book
And in its lines Great Black Lines
Please gramerey pray for me
And oh goodbye sweetestheart
The wind roars in the nearness
And all the clouds are spiralling towards us
Descent indeed to the centre of it all
Skipping lightly and lying truly
You shall read in these foolish gapes
Oh that I have not understood
(But if you look for the stag and the cross conjoined
There on my arm look there
There I have understood very well)
And this I have not understood
Under the bowered greenwood tree
Under the velvet branches dear
When sun and moon both came so near
Under the starlit open dome
Under the starsharp pointed lights
Under the starloved greeny earth
When first I wanted to hold You
And all the world halfdead and halflive
And I have not understood
Under the rain and teeth of gods
Under the pain and sleeping liddy eyes
Under the brokkd wetful heaven
Then I am singing with my eyes