The Voice

Woman: ‘If I could see you in the shadow Of the hill beside my house, where we played In daylight long ago.’

Man: ‘But do you not recall— There came a winged being there, Full with the stormy air?’

In autumn the earth flowed brown and gold, The twigs all striped upon the verge Among the trees a lonely lonely sigh; That was that superhuman pledge, I swear, Past all the dark woods bore my letter’s word.

And may the moon peep hence to climb on high!

• Thomas Hardy