By the River

                I have gone too long without an anchor,
                And now I know what it feels like, my heart
                raw as unmended cloth.
                
                I walk beside the river, listening
                to its crashing streams, feeling
                the wretchedness of my soul.
                
                The waters dance about their confines;
                It sings, it rumbles and sparkles,
                as I sit, exhausted, bent, bare.
                
                Such a simple words as nature speaks,
                with trembling leaves and mocking reeds,
                the laughter wraps around my blight.
                
                I ache with childish joy and rage,
                For Nature knows of woe and bliss,
                she simply laughs and lets me lie.
                
                The cry of a bird soars overhead,
                Bidding me to rise or linger.
                And still it moves, that shimmering sheen.
                
                For among the stones and shifting sands,
                The river's voice is such a balm,
                it calls to me, whispering peace.

• Ivor Gurney