5. Withering

Fade, tender lily,
   Fade, O crimson rose,
Fade every flower,
   Sweetest flower that blows.

Go, chilly autumn,
   Come, O winter cold;
Let the green stalks die away
   Into common mould.

Birth follows hard on death,
   Life on withering:
Hasten, we will come the sooner
   Back to pleasant spring.

Christina Rosetti

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