A quiet sadness

In the overwhelming sadness, I found no cathartic words.
Nothing to express the sorrow of having to say goodbye, like the roots of a thirsty tree in search of water, delving deep into the heart, holding fast.

I hold it true, whate'er befall;
I feel it, when I sorrow most;
'Tis better to have loved and lost
Than never to have loved at all.
-- Alfred Lord Tennyson, In Memoriam: XXVII, 1850