New England Diary

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'An old untried illusion'

The afternoon is bright,
with spring in the air,
a mild March afternoon,
with the breath of April stirring,
I am alone in the quiet patio
looking for some old untried illusion -
some shadow on the whiteness of the wall
some memory asleep
on the stone rim of the fountain,
perhaps in the air
the light swish of some trailing gown.


- - Antonio Machado (1875-1939)
   Selected Poems#3, Translated by Alan S. Trueblood