Autumn Crocuses

The meadow is poisonous but pretty in the autumn The cows that graze there are slowly poisoned Meadow-saffron the colour of lilac and of shadows Under the eyes grows there your eyes are like those flowers Mauve as their shadows and mauve as this autumn And for your eyes' sake my life is slowly poisoned Children from school come with their commotion Dressed in smocks and playing the mouth-organ Picking autumn crocuses which are like their mothers Daughters of their daughters and the colour of your eyelids Which flutter like flowers in the mad breeze blown The cowherd sings softly to himself all alone While slow moving lowing the cows leave behind them Forever this great meadow ill flowered by autumn