I regret bitterly The years of loving you in both Your presence and absence, regret The law, the vocation That forbid me to keep you, the sea A sheet of glass, the sun-bleached Beauty of the Greek ships: how Could I have power if I had no wish To transform you: as You loved my body, As you found there Passion we held above All other gifts, in that single moment Over honor and hope, over Loyalty, in the name of that bond I refuse you Such feeling for your wife As will let you Rest with her, I refuse you Sleep again If I cannot have you. Louise Glück