In Memory of Jane Fraser Poem By Geoffrey Hill

 

 

When snow like sheep lay in the fold

And winds went begging at each door,

And the far hills were blue with cold,

And a cold shroud lay on the moor,

 

She kept the siege. And every day

We watched her brooding over death

Like a strong bird above its prey.

The room filled with the kettle’s breath.

 

Damp curtains glued against the pane

Sealed time away. Her body froze

As if to freeze us all, and chain

Creation to a stunned repose.

 

She died before the world could stir.

In March the ice unloosed the brook

And water ruffled the sun’s hair.

Dead cones upon the alder shook.