I buried my wild youthful dream

In the sand of a faraway shore

I promised myself

Never to return there any more.



Time had taken flight on relentless wings

I thought I was brave and strong

Still that dream returned to haunt

Like the endless echo of a melancholic song.



Once she said she loved me

Begged that I would not abandon her

‘  You are my heart’s content, my solace

Believe me--I will love you forever’.



How fragile and forgetful is love

Who knows its inconstancy?

Love that betrays murders the heart

‘ La Dame Sans Merci’.



Who knows the secrets of the heart?

Is love an illusion and fantasy?

Who knows the how and why

Of that which is life’s most profound mystery?



Explain it  if you may

You would need words to cover

The whole sky and the widest sea

It would be wise not to endeavour.



I am dying, dying now

And that distant shore speaks to me

You must return before your last sunset

Perhaps, perhaps, you will be set free.