She couldn't tell him that she didn't want to cleave.
"The Pastor's Wife"
Elizabeth von Arnim
No sword can cleave them from me, no rush of wind displace them.
"The Three Heron's Feathers"
Hermann Sudermann
Canst thou not see that he doth not ride on the solid ground, but flieth through the air, and that, although he rideth on what seemeth a mortal steed, he is really craried by mighty pinions, which cleave the air like those of a bird?
"The Scottish Fairy Book"
Elizabeth W. Grierson