Resignation

Endless ages come slow to those who fight,
Sweet sadness' inevitable delay;
Courtly gardens bloom throughout the dark night.

Old men and young carry venomous spite,
Because they know dusky soft ends of days,
Endless ages come slow to those who fight.

In their longings for clear foreboding sight
They drop to their knees, count red beads and pray.
Courtly gardens bloom throughout the dark night.

Even the men who lived lives full of right
A lovers'sharp glance makes them beg to stay,
Endless ages come slow to those who fight.

And in the blinding brightness of sunlight
She calls it off and it begins to fray
Courtly gardens bloom throughout the dark night.

And when our crops have pestilence or blight,
We hope for a ripe, more bountiful day.
Endless ages come slow to those who fight.
Courtly gardens bloom throughout the dark night.

-Daniel Adler