I want to say to you 'You are my wife!' <br />Because you were not called that by the rest, <br />Because to my old home, destroyed by war, <br />You're hardly likely now to come as guest; <br /> <br />Because I have not always wished you well, <br />Because I've had no sympathy from you, <br />Because one night, without my asking, you <br />Came to me just when you wanted to. <br /> <br />I want to say to you 'You are my wife!' <br />Not so that I can tell them you're my own, <br />Not just because our true relationship <br />Has long been guessed and generally known. <br /> <br />I do not boldly boast about your beauty, <br />Nor of the fame and fortune you have found. <br />Enough for me the gentle, secret woman <br />Who came into my house without a sound. <br /> <br />Death levels all the claims of worldly glory <br />And beauty's like a station that we pass; <br />The former owner looks at her old portraits <br />And jealously compares them with the glass. <br /> <br />I want to say to you 'You are my wife!' <br />Because the endless days of absence tear me, <br />Because I know a stranger's hand must close <br />The eyes of very many of those near me. <br /> <br />Because you were so honest with me, darling, <br />And made no vows of loving evermore, <br />And only at the final hour of parting <br />Lied that you loved me, as I went to war. <br /> <br />Whose are you now? Are you still mine or no? <br />My heart cannot stretch out to what I lack… <br />Forgive me if I say you are my wife - <br />It is my privilege. I may not come back…<br /><br />Konstantin Mikhailovich Simonov<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/i-want-to-say-to-you-you-are-my-wife/
