first inner page of 4

Spring was too swift and fleeting to record ,
Summer’s brave pageant all unwritten passed :
Now , when rich harvests should be timely stored ,
I strive to gather rosebuds while they last .

Rosebuds may linger till the first sharp frost ,
But droop they must , and droop with them must I :
An empty granary, a garland lost —
How shall I live while winter storms are high ?

Winter I may defy , for thou art mine ,
Spring is a portrait palely drawn from thee ,
Summer but borrows graces that are thine ,
The gifts of autumn but thy tributes be .

Fall leaves , come snow : while thou art mine I sing
Brave summer, sweet and everlasting spring .

21st Oct. 1951, dated on outer page