He Is Possessed by Absence
︎︎︎ C. Sandbatch
︎ June 29, 2026
Wrong, and wrong in every part,
is he who says: “Far from the eyes,
so far, then, from the heart.”
This I swear to you, my lady:
the farther I am sent from you,
the more I love, desire, and serve—
more surely for being far.
Such is the craft of love, our art:
to keep no commerce with the eyes,
but seal its bargain in the heart.
Withdraw, then, where you please:
you shall not remove so far,
nor ever shall, nor can,
past the bound where you possess me.
For under such a fated chart
on you alone my exiled eyes
were fixed, and yielded up my heart.
True, it cannot be denied:
I could not forget you,
living sense still bears me back,
yet suffers, not to see.
Therefore I confess my part:
soon may you stand before my eyes,
and that with all good heart.
is he who says: “Far from the eyes,
so far, then, from the heart.”
This I swear to you, my lady:
the farther I am sent from you,
the more I love, desire, and serve—
more surely for being far.
Such is the craft of love, our art:
to keep no commerce with the eyes,
but seal its bargain in the heart.
Withdraw, then, where you please:
you shall not remove so far,
nor ever shall, nor can,
past the bound where you possess me.
For under such a fated chart
on you alone my exiled eyes
were fixed, and yielded up my heart.
True, it cannot be denied:
I could not forget you,
living sense still bears me back,
yet suffers, not to see.
Therefore I confess my part:
soon may you stand before my eyes,
and that with all good heart.