The fiery coals were glowing.
The winter howled outside.
We were alone together
With nothing left to hide.

She let slip from her shoulders
Her furs and finery
And stood before the hearth-glow
And made her body free.

And I too dropped my garments
And in the glow we stood
Shameless and passionless as death,
So ghostly was our mood.

We looked upon each other;
We touched; we moved apart.
There was a silence over us,
A hunger of the heart

For some undreamed communion,
Some ecstasy of pain …
She smiled: we donned our clothes and went
Out to the streets again.