The Single Swan

Like a mighty white wind, The single swan glides home, Tender and tufted upon a water-loose That makes a lovely flowered foam.

From his long neck — gentle sighs rise, And the waves lap and fade, O heart — O great blue skies! The vision is lost, there is no masquerade.

Jackdaws sprawled desolate, In their stony crags; But behold this peerless king! — The splendor of his lover lags.

Within those hidden courts Where no light seeps in, There the sun breaks open, radiant, With fair oaks and bitten green.

This polite golden glow decays into a lasting dream: Her pale feathers meet the faint ripples and seam.

Here I stand where the twilight fades, A secret half-way home, I see the unbroken light even amongst the glooms.

• Richard Aldington