WILLIAM HEINESEN
"So As Night Comes"

A burning whirlwind in the evening
the snow is swirling.

Your years are such a whirlwind
rushing to the end.

Strange, bottomless joy
transforms the usual appearance of snowflakes.
Secret joy
hidden delight
awakens the changing snow pattern.

And now,
late evening, thought
will flash
and at night it suddenly flashes, overshadowing,
what was the modest contribution of your knowledge,
the dual and eternal mystery of existence,
what was called your life:

In this whirlwind you were the only snowflake
on the way to death,
to the great continuous darkness.