O cover the gable in thistle Let this place become unknown to all To us only may this place be holy; Let the moss wrap it up like a shawl.
Let the darkness prevent eyes from seeing And hearts from remembering when And the sun hide her grand face, agreeing That no-one shall find it again.
Let the vines and the beetles crawl slowly Devouring all semblance of worth; O cover the gable in thistle And draw it all back to the earth.
II
Once this was a temple unfettered. My heart and hers wandered free, Free from Timeβs shadow and terror; Nothing would tear her from me.
My spirit was hers for the sculpting, She crafted my soul by her hand; Prancing and gasping and gulping We devoured the joy of this land.
Never a footstep in error And every omen a boon-- Once this was a temple unfettered; A monument now to my ruin.
III
This is the place where I carried her And swore to protect her from harm; Here her warm breath was my staple, Here her bright eye was my charm.
Though the fortunes of fate might assail her I am her aegis and shield Unswerving, my love cannot fail her βTil the last of my strength shall I yield
See, on the hill, the black maple And the wink of the ropeβs one good eye This is the place where I buried her And yonder the hill where I die.