Sea Dirge Poem by Matthew Buchwald

Beneath tall sea cliffs lies a grave
Concealed from view inside a cave,
Besides a stone, the only trace
That tells where was the hiding place
Of a faithful, ill-starred lover.

The cloud-filled sky makes rain to pour,
The swollen tide climbs up the shore,
Water floods the cavern floor,
Above, the sea-kites hover.

The woe which makes the clouds to weep
That drenches with tears the rocky steep
That fills with dread the earth and air
Is the loss of life of a maiden fair
That an oarsman did discover.

'Twas kinsmen who began the strife
That cursed a wooer who took to wife
The tender soul who took her life
To keep foes from her lover.

The oarsman brings his skiff aground,
And the screeching kites wheel all around
The rocky cliffs beside the sea
Atop the cavern by the sea
Where lies the oarsman's lover.

He decorates her grave with flowers,
And weeps for her for hours and hours,
While chilled and blasted by the showers,
Until his breast he does uncover.

For grief he lies down on the grave,
For love his life he can not save.