Be gentle with me,
For I am weary beyond breath.
I, who have held in my hands
And in my mind
The stuff of empires,
Am lost within the silence
Of a disquieted heart.
Time pulls at me like a lion’s claws,
The foul and twisted offspring
Of a bleak world that has now forgotten
The beautiful secret of rest.
O rampant shadow,
Which chases me by night
And dances in the corners of my mind!
Why do you toy with me?
Neither lost nor found, I wander discontent
And know not what could make me smile
Save you.
Soft! Does he hear my lonesome cry?
Will now he come and slay the beast
That lurks within my heart?
Oh, I yearn for it.
Come quickly, Lord.