The Seaweed-Gatherers

Beside the rocks that crumble, between the rocks that feed 
With drowned men the sea's hunger, we sailed to gather weed: 
We drew it up by armfuls out of the sea that clung 
To every sea-lace dripping with shell and sand sea-flung. 

The time was near to sunset, the sky was clear of mist 
The wind among the cliff-caves was making dreary tryst; 
But in our stem like sunset the wreaths of red weed were, 
The green weed shone as silken as a sea-woman's hair. 

She in the boat beside me who helped me gather store 
Of seaweed green and rosy was fair and is no more; 
Her eyes were like a seagull's, her neck was white as foam. 
And I who sought but seaweed found love and brought her home. 

The night is none so dreary as was the day to me, 
When wife and boat together came drifting in from sea; 
Alone she sought for seaweed, and when the storm came down, 
The creatures of the seaweed alone beheld her drown. 

I have no peace in sleeping, no comfort in the day, 
For if her grave is near me, her soul is far away. 
But when a-seeking seaweed the kind death comes to me. 
Church-earth will never keep her down if I lie in the sea.