ORION

Call him by name, the hunter Orion,
Bound to the sky with strands of the night;
- - - -Winter and Spring,
- - - -And farewell the Summer;
Seasons are called by his coming and going,
Unwielded his sword as he chases the Lion;
Millions of years have traversed in his sight.

*

Yonder he climbs beyond the blue shadow,
Watching the world with the eyes of the wind.
- - - -No word can stay him
- - - -And no hand can hold him:
Treading the stars in his ancient silence,
Tireless, he bears quiet cosmic sorrow,
Jewelled his waist as the night's raven wing.

*
Sad Mother Earth, your children will leave you,
Seeking for worlds of an alien day;
- - - -Once they were growing,
- - - -Now they are knowing
Where lie the worlds where their feet have not wandered;
Sad Mother Earth, Orion will watch you
Counting the long years, so far, far away.