To a Mountain

Te Ao Hou, March 1968, Page 56

To a Mountain O ageless one, My heart beats to see you rise From the enveloping green of a valley deep, Enshrouded, entangled in mist and bush, And scarred by wind and rain and age Still standing Still. O endless one Who knows no pain, No cares, no anguish, no beating heart, But only a rain that beats and scars And only a sun that heats and marrs Your beauty. O ageless one, secure is your world Of changing moods, Where the swift breeze caresses with fingers so cold, Where the sky eagle haunts the towering crag, Where the wild beasts roam, free and fleet, And the cascade falls like a handful of gems To your feet. O careless one Who laughs on Man and Time, Laugh not Your time will come, Your heart will beat, Your granite tears come rolling down, And slowly, slowly wear away The splendour I have seen today.