I loved you once when hearts were wild,
When youth was brave and time was kind;
The years went by — the stars compiled
The echoes you left in my mind.
Through sleepless years your name would stir,
Like gentle heather near the sea;
Then fate returned your face, and her
Soft hand reopened memory.
Whatever fate has taken, kept,
This timeless serendipity.
I guard a love that never slept,
With every step you take from me.
I do not curse what could not stay,
Nor beg the tide to turn again;
Love lingers where it lost its way,
More faithful for its share of pain.
And if, by grace, your heart recalls
A whisper from old Liberty,
Know this: my soul forever falls
With every step you take from me.