Permanence in Change by D.M. Black

Could these early blossoms last, O
Even for one single hour!
But already from the West the
Wind blows and the petals shower.
Shall I love the kindly green leaves
Which so lately gave me shade?
Storms come soon and send them streaming
When in fall they curl and fade.

Quickly, if I may advise you,
Grasp your share of life's rich fruit.
While these here begin to ripen,
Those already root and shoot.
Your sweet valley is forever
Altered with each gust of rain,
And, alas, the swimmer never
Enters the same stream again.

You yourself! What in those former
Days seemed like a rock to rise,
Strong like walls, strong like a fortress,
Now you see with other eyes.
Dim and wasted is the lip which
Kisses once refreshed with heat,
And that foot, which on the cliff-face
With the chamois could compete!

That hand too! so gladly stretched to
Offer help, or give delight,
That well-jointed, supple structure,
Now presents a different sight.
What now bears your name, replacing
All you knew yourself to be,
Has come by here like a wave, and
Hastens on to find the sea.

Let the end with the beginning
Draw together and unite!
Quicker than the world of things, let
You yourself outspeed their flight! -
Thankful, that the generous Muses
Grant one constant thing to inherit:
Meaning, found within your bosom,
Form, the action of your spirit.

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