And then when then I die I feel I shall say I have not understood I have not understood any of this My eyes are still coaldark I have not understood Around and in my eyes the tiny flecks Of swirling crippled confused lights And to my heart I will whisper Softly quietly "There is no death there is no death" (And goodbye to you all) Under the gorgon grinned arches Of London's great vaults I have not understood Under the sunpuckered roofs of Kathmandu I have not understood Along the soulstoned streets Of Lower And of Higher Germanie I have not understood Leipzig: blackeyed pain and loss: she I have not understood In Clare near I The empty lakes are open in the distance And too close is the faminereatchingroad All these are ghosts 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 And did not understand Though animalbled fleshmarbled rivers ran in Her honour His buckled body in blood Returns to the prebirth poise Spreadeagled like starfish - There in His eyes: 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 I have not understood Please gramerey pray for me And oh goodbye sweetestheart The wind roars in the nearness And there in my heart And all the clouds are spiralling towards us Descent indeed to the centre of it all Skipping lightly and lying truly This we shall understand I hope... Wet bent humped trees The great ones - there On the lapped shore Dai Ichi There also I do not know This is all unknowable And as the dust covers My empty eyes 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) Now you are all fading All fading As my age creeps on As This Age stumbles on Fires in the earth Fires in the sky Fires in our hearts Fires everywhere The black eyes Already blacken And this I have not understood Not peace But a sword This and He Unfortunately I have understood Under the bowered greenwood tree When first I lay Bright starre with Thee 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 Spat into my mouth Bluesea bitterwater And I am almost dead And I have not understood Under the rain and teeth of gods Under the pain and sleeping liddy eyes Under the brokkd wetful heaven If you are there If you are there If you are there Then I am singing with my eyes If you are there
And then when then I die I feel I shall say I have not understood I have not understood any of this My eyes are still coaldark I have not understood Around and in my eyes the tiny flecks Of swirling crippled confused lights And to my heart I will whisper Softly quietly "There is no death there is no death" (And goodbye to you all) Under the gorgon grinned arches Of London's great vaults I have not understood Under the sunpuckered roofs of Kathmandu I have not understood Along the soulstoned streets Of Lower And of Higher Germanie I have not understood Leipzig: blackeyed pain and loss: she I have not understood In Clare near I The empty lakes are open in the distance And too close is the faminereatchingroad All these are ghosts 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 And did not understand Though animalbled fleshmarbled rivers ran in Her honour His buckled body in blood Returns to the prebirth poise Spreadeagled like starfish - There in His eyes: 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 I have not understood Please gramerey pray for me And oh goodbye sweetestheart The wind roars in the nearness And there in my heart And all the clouds are spiralling towards us Descent indeed to the centre of it all Skipping lightly and lying truly This we shall understand I hope... Wet bent humped trees The great ones - there On the lapped shore Dai Ichi There also I do not know This is all unknowable And as the dust covers My empty eyes 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) Now you are all fading All fading As my age creeps on As This Age stumbles on Fires in the earth Fires in the sky Fires in our hearts Fires everywhere The black eyes Already blacken And this I have not understood Not peace But a sword This and He Unfortunately I have understood Under the bowered greenwood tree When first I lay Bright starre with Thee 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 Spat into my mouth Bluesea bitterwater And I am almost dead And I have not understood Under the rain and teeth of gods Under the pain and sleeping liddy eyes Under the brokkd wetful heaven If you are there If you are there If you are there Then I am singing with my eyes If you are there
