Is death the promise of Fate's last rebound,

Revenge of Time that waits within the clock

And laughs awry at life,

For a kiss, for a dream, for a child that you bore,

For a fresh rose pinned to your bosom?

The owl is in your spirit,

Blinking through the oldest tree of wisdom—

And now your fingers are weaving

The cold pale invisible blossoms of death

Into a waxen wreath,