When?

When did this rose have its beginning?  When

Will be its end?  The bud took form and hue

Last week, but long ere that the first frail shoot

Burst from the parent stem ; so was it then?

And yet last summer this red twiglet grew,

But I know not when first it pushed a root

Deep into fertile earth.  This rose again

Will bloom next summer when the skies are blue,

And bloom again till time is absolute,

Its beauty and its fragrance sensed by men.

Not the same rose?  By what signs are you sure?

I too have died since last year’s flowers were bright,

Died in great measure, yet the same despite ;

And as I have done so I will endure.

 

Weekly Times     28.9.62