A town held bosomed in lush forest, its white
faced convents and porticoed colonnades led
naturally into columned trees, whose canopied leaves
scattered profuse tints of coloured light. Here he walked
a new created Adam, the mind a chaos of delight
to see, to smell, to taste all nature: each gaudy
butterfly, brilliant flower, elegant grass and strange
fruit. Watched the hummingbird nectar its beak, the sloth
hang languorously inverted, the tree-frog leap, the tamarind
flash its golden mane and spiny rat dart
from hollow tree. Heard insects in their myriad
forms, sound the stillness of the evening air. Saw
fireflies quick as Dantean spirits, glow before his eyes.
Felt this creation issued into flawless being,
an immutable perfection which would not voyage
in the little barque of faith, where each single extinction
might put out the lights of a whole universe.
faced convents and porticoed colonnades led
naturally into columned trees, whose canopied leaves
scattered profuse tints of coloured light. Here he walked
a new created Adam, the mind a chaos of delight
to see, to smell, to taste all nature: each gaudy
butterfly, brilliant flower, elegant grass and strange
fruit. Watched the hummingbird nectar its beak, the sloth
hang languorously inverted, the tree-frog leap, the tamarind
flash its golden mane and spiny rat dart
from hollow tree. Heard insects in their myriad
forms, sound the stillness of the evening air. Saw
fireflies quick as Dantean spirits, glow before his eyes.
Felt this creation issued into flawless being,
an immutable perfection which would not voyage
in the little barque of faith, where each single extinction
might put out the lights of a whole universe.