Having witnessed the Beauty of Autumn,
I Bargained with the Powers That Be
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I ask no more than this spare autumn day –
But let this day endure all days to come!
For in the whisk of winter’s trifling eye,
I see again the gleam that signifies
The coming of a wind
And best of all your blessings -
That pungent unction in the wasting leaves,
Bleeding from the knotty arms of trees,
And spreading like a painted cloak
About a spent and naked form!
Oh, show me, show me now
Your fresh unfinished work,[1]
That I may know the life I forfeit
Is not lost in vain,
But brings about a good
All eyes can see
Oh, give to me this autumn day,
And let my heart be yours again!