Classic Poem

Pale on its stalk, the aster flower
Exhales its beauty to the night;
The dry leaves scatter on the grass,
Brown flecks on bits of jade.
The haze of autumn hides the trees,
To-night shall be turned the hour-glass of my life;
Now all my thoughts going homewards
In the distance are singing songs of you.

Purple and gold, the aster flower
Is an image of my autumnal love:
Its golden centre is like a torch
To kindle joy in the long still night,
A torch of love with violet rays,
Grief at its enigmatic heart:
Frail clustered flower of my dreams,
You shall bloom to-night, you shall bloom to-night!

The city is like an aster flower,
Out of the city I come to you,
Out of the purple heart of the night,
Swifter than song, lighter than light.
Purple and gold, my aster flower,
I am the wind of the autumn night:
I look in your eyes, you breathe my breath,
We rest together till dawn has come.