August 1 to 14

A Dull Spirit

I see the houses, but I swear

They’re all alike this day;

I see no difference in the birds,

In sparrow, thrush or jay.

Cows, horses, sheep and cats or dogs

Are all the same in look;

I see no change in bark or leaf,

From sycamore to oak.

The chaffinch with his laughing song,

Is but a bird to me;

The cherry, in her summer snow,

Is nothing but a tree.

My wonder’s gone, and my sick muse

Burns dead, without a flame;

And that’s why different birds and trees,

And houses, look the same.