And then when then I die 

I feel I shall say 

I have not understood 

I have not understood any of this 

My eyes are still coaldark 

I have not understood 

Around and in my eyes the tiny flecks 

Of swirling crippled confused lights 

And to my heart I will whisper 

Softly quietly 

"There is no death there is no death" 

(And goodbye to you all) 

Under the gorgon grinnd arches 

Of London's great vaults 

I have not understood 

Under the sunpuckered roofs of Kathmandu 

I have not understood 

Along the soulstoned streets 

Of Lower 

And of Higher Germanie 

I have not understood 

Leipzig: blackeyed pain and loss: she 

I have not understood 

In Clare near I 

The empty lakes are open in the distance 

And too close is the faminereatchingroad 

All these are ghosts 

There I have not understood 

(In the Heart of the Wood 

Oh there have I understood) 

I rested at the temple of Great Black Time - Her 

And did not understand 

Though animalbled fleshmarbled rivers ran in Her honour 

His buckled body in blood 

Returns to the prebirth poise 

Spreadeagled like starfish - 

There in His eyes: 

Incomprehension mute pain disbelief what 

Blood there meant sorrow trickles there 

This I could not understand 

I bend the pages of yet another book 

And in its lines Great Black Lines 

I have not understood 

Please gramerey pray for me 

And oh goodbye sweetestheart 

The wind roars in the nearness 

And there in my heart 

And all the clouds are spiralling towards us 

Descent indeed to the centre of it all 

Skipping lightly and lying truly 

This we shall understand 

I hope... 



Wet bent humped trees 

The great ones - there 

On the lapped shore 

Dai Ichi 

There also I do not know 

This is all unknowable 

And as the dust covers 

My empty eyes 

You shall read in these foolish gapes 

Oh that I have not understood 

(But if you look for the stag and the cross conjoined 

There on my arm look there 

There I have understood very well) 



Now you are all fading 

All fading 

As my age creeps on 

As This Age stumbles on 

Fires in the earth 

Fires in the sky 

Fires in our hearts 

Fires everywhere 

The black eyes 

Already blacken 

And this I have not understood 



Not peace 

But a sword 

This and He 

Unfortunately 

I have understood 

Under the bowered greenwood tree 

When first I lay 

Bright starre with Thee 

Under the velvet branches dear 

When sun and moon both came so near 

Under the starlit open dome 

Under the starsharp pointed lights 

Under the starloved greeny earth 

When first I wanted to hold You 

And all the world halfdead and halflive 

Spat into my mouth 

Bluesea bitterwater 

And I am almost dead 

And I have not understood 



Under the rain and teeth of gods 

Under the pain and sleeping liddy eyes 

Under the brokkd wetful heaven 

If you are there 

If you are there 

If you are there 

Then I am singing with my eyes 

If you are there