A Pear Reminds Me of My Love

Vladyslav Nazarchuk

A pear reminds me of my love,
For, once, she held it close, with care,
As the wind swirled from above
Her locks of auburn hair.

Hand in hand, we walked alone
Along the shoreline of a lake,
As the morning sunlight shone
Upon the flowers in our wake.

Then, we sat below a tree,
And as she gazed into the mist,
I looked into her eyes with glee—
Into their cloudy midst.

There, the mournful lark doth weep
For those who now in coffins lie.
There, the sullen willow keeps
The mem’ry of ages long gone by…

I took a pear from off the tree
And handed it to her,
And said, “My heart’s no longer free,
But t’ you to give it I prefer!”

And she, in turn, looked from the glen,
And took my pear, and swore:
“I’ll eat this pear, and then
I’ll keep your heart forevermore.”

Alas, the wheels of fate do turn
With paths unknown to mortal men.
And though I’ve kept for her return,
I never saw her once again.

Now, I in an orchard lie:
Her specter haunts my horrid doom.
So let them, when I someday die,
Carve a pear into my tomb.

A pear reminds me of my love,
For, once, she held it close, with care,
As the wind swirled from above
Her locks of auburn hair…