All night I wrestled with a memory Which knocked insurgent at the gates of thought
The crumbled wreck of years behind has wrought Its disillusion; now I only cry For peace, for power to forget the lie Which hope too long has whispered
So...
The snow whispers around me And my wooden clogs Leave holes behind me in the snow
But no one will pass this way Seeking my footsteps,
And when the temple bell rings again They will be covered and gone
April had covered the hills With flickering yellows and reds,
The sparkle and coolness of snow Was blown from the mountain beds
Across a deep-sunken stream The pink of blossoming trees,
And from windless appleblooms The humming of m...
High up in the apple tree climbing I go,
With the sky above me, the earth below
Each branch is the step of a wonderful stair Which leads to the town I see shining up there
Climbing, climbing, higher and higher,
Whistle under the water,
Make the water bubble to the tones of the flute
I call the bluebirds song into the water:
Wee-kee
They brought me a quilled, yellow dahlia,
Opulent, flaunting
Round gold Flung out of a pale green stalk
Round, ripe gold Of maturity,
When you came, you were like red wine and honey,
And the taste of you burnt my mouth with its sweetness
Now you are like morning bread,
Smooth and pleasant
To Ezra Pound With much friendship and admiration and some differences of
The Poet took his
Of fine and polished ebony
Set in the close-grained
Dance
Dance
The priest is yellow with sunflower meal,
He is yellow with corn-meal,
Glinting golden through the trees, Apples of Hesperides
Through the moon-pierced warp of night Shoot pale shafts of yellow light,
Swaying to the kissing breeze Swings the treasure, golden-gleaming, Apples of Hesperides
Far and lofty...
As I would free the white almond from the green husk So I would strip your trappings off,
Beloved
And fingering the smooth and polished kernel I should see that in my hands glittered a gem beyond counting
O you,
Who came upon me
Stretched under apple-trees just after bathing,
Why did you not strangle me before