Dear champion of my heart,
I cannot sleep - for the memory of you in my mind
Is much too real to be satiated by mere reflection-
And sometimes in the dark,
While I sleep, my hands travel to seek yours to find
A willing warm body restless (as mine) from dereliction
Dear champion of my heart,
I see you speak to others now, the way you once spoke to me
The words I treasured as being only my own
Now flow from your lips like fires from a dragon of many heads,
And I, but an ill-fated sailor lost upon the black sea
(Who you should’ve slain in a breath, but) you chose to burn the boat, leaving me to drown
Dear champion of my heart,
I hope these verses find you in good health,
Better at least than mine- for since you abandoned me
I have found that my vigor abandoned me as well
The rose of my youth has long since wilted (and with much stealth)
Leaving me surprised at the image in the mirror that I see
Dear champion of my heart,
I fear I may grow too selfish and ask you back
But to me your health and happiness mean more than the cost
Of food to a fasting pilgrim; and so I refrain from words that may earn me your derision
And instead beg the Lord for you the things that I myself lack:
The simple pleasures of love, one till death, one that is never lost
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem