How you welcomed
The creak of my oars
In your silent waters!
You had waited so long,
For this first visitor.

You enticed me
Into the shadows
Of your black poplars
And tangled vines,
Where lay hidden
Your pristine temple.

By day and by night
You entertained me
At your altar,
And I, like a captive
Suppliant at your feet,
Attended your loneliness.

But I grew weary
Of your mysteries and rites,
And despite your tears
And pleading looks,
took to sitting alone
And gazing out to sea.

What years have I dreamt away
On your time-lost island?
But now, I am awakening,
The tide is changing,
And a rising breeze
Stirs my ship at her moorings.

I am leaving the stillness
Of your groves and caverns.
Your sanctuaries,
And your secrets,
Detain me no longer,
I yearn for home.

I am Ulysses,
Did you think to keep me
In your world of death forever?