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This poem is taken from PN Review 17, Volume 7 Number 3, January - February 1981.

A Version of 'Noche Oscura' Francis Boylan

The night was dark and deep,
Love pressed the eager notes of my desire
That I might live my sleep
I am a voiceless choir,
My blood is sighing seeking the silence in fire.

The night was dark and deep,
I closed my eyes and climbed the secret stair
O may I live my sleep
I am a hidden yare,
My blood is sighing seeking the silence in fire.

The night was dark and dear,
I was an ignorance burned beyond my soul
I closed my ears to hear
And heard the spirit sow
A shadow of the size of light within my soul.

Dear sun is dark beside
...


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