THE SUN IN WINTER

Oh winter sunshine whose beautiful light
filters through the bare, leafless branches,
beguiling us mercifully with your golden
vitality and brightening the cloudy sky

after our siesta; your warm light provides
the clothing which covers the throng
of the poor, and in this way you fulfill
the purpose of life that renders homage

to our sad old age. Oh merciful sun
who gives ice its diamantine brilliance,
be my consolation when my forehead

falls to the earth, my ultimate destiny,
and let the red light of your sunset cover
the smooth path to my final night.