Thy day without a cloud hath pass'd
And thou wert lovely to the last
Extinguish'd not decay'd；
As stars that shoot along the sky
Shine brightest as they fall from high．
As once I wept if I could weep
My tears might well be shed
To think I was not near to keep
One vigil o'er thy bed—
To gaze how fondly！ on thy face
To fold thee in a faint embrace
Uphold thy drooping head
And show that love however vain
Nor thou nor I can feel again．
Yet how much less it were to gain
Though thou hast left me free
The loveliest things that still remain
Than thus remember thee！
The all of thine that cannot die
Through dark and dread eternity
Returns again to me
And more thy buried love endears
Than aught except its living years．
by W． H． Auden
Perfection， of a kind， was what he was after，
And the poetry he invented was easy to understand；
He knew human folly like the back of his hand，
And was greatly interested in armies and fleets；
When he laughed， respectable senators burst with laughter，
And when he cried the little children died in the streets．
But this day especially，
I need some extra strength
To face what ever is to be．
This day more than any day
I need to feel you near，
To fortify my courage
And to overcome my fear．
By myself，I cannot meet
The challenge of the hour，
There are times when humans help，
But we need a higher power
To assist us bear what must be borne，
and so dear Lord，I pray
Hold on to my trembling hand And be near me today．
本文来源：http://www.010zaixian.com/wenxue/shige/600040.htm