Now out of heat and thunder New orders come to pass: Dead leaves above, and under, Dead crickets in the grass. The grackle wheel and cluster Where once the red-bud burned, Telling in noisy clatter How little we have learned Of days that thrive and vanish, Of loves that wax and wane, Of fears that strive to banish The frail hopes that remain. Dance lovely lady; measure With fleeting step the time; Too soon an end of pleasure, -- Hushed all too soon the rhyme. Dance to the changing magic of bird and sky and leaf; The faltering foot, how tragic; The burnished wing, how brief! | Discover our Poem Explanations and Poet Analyses!Other Poems of Interest... |