The Dragon-Fly

Clark Ashton Smith

By the clear green river,
One afternoon in early autumn,
A dragon-fly with crimson wings alit
On the white thigh of my belovèd;
And, ever since it flew,
More fully have I known the loveliness
And the transiency of days;
And love and beauty burn within me
Like the piled leaves of blood and amber
That burn at autumn's ending.

Printed from: eldritchdark.com/writings/poetry/571
Printed on: March 28, 2024