Ophelia

I stand before the water
And I think of my beloved
How it scares me, how it scares me
To be leaving him behind here
And I think he’d be surprised
To find me sounding so coherent
Find me sound of mind and body
When he thought me long surrendered
To the cruel grip of madness
Like a stone that sinks in water
And the water
And the water calls me in
I stand before the water
White his shroud as the mountain snow
And I look at my reflection
Larded with sweet flowers
See the empty-eyed young woman
Which bewept to the grave didn’t go
See the wilting bunch of flowers
With true-love showers
There is rosemary for remembering
There is rosemary for remembrance
There are pansies for the thinking
I pray you, love, remember
Will he think, will he remember
You must wear your rue with a difference
Or dismiss it all as fancy
There are pansies, they’re for thoughts
And I drop them one by one
Here’s a daisy, here’s a daisy
And send them floating in the water
I would give you violets
And the water
But they withered
And the water calls me in
They withered when he died
And I thought it would be kindness
If they thought it wasn’t me
Thought a force beyond my power
Was the one that drove my hand
And I’ve tried so hard to find a way
Some other way to go
But my footsteps always take me to the water…
I stand before the water
And will he not come again?
And I find myself a woman
O will he not come again?
Standing naked for the first time
No, he is gone
With her lover, and I step in
Well, God 'ield you; they say the owl was a baker’s daughter
And I find myself a small girl
Lord, we know what we are
Jumping joyful in a puddle
And I sink in and I find myself
An infant in the darkness
O will he not come again?
Of the womb that holds her gently
No … no …
And I’m safe now in the water
No
And the water
And the water calls me in