More callous than a dig <br />More back-breaking than a slam <br /> <br />Amber as a tale, more amber than landlord <br />Everlasting as an auto-da-fe, more everlasting than raft <br />Travelled as an air, more travelled than breeze <br />Dateless as a wing, more dateless than cup <br /> <br />After they have received us at dawn, knowing, striving, like im-petuous shafts. <br />As if they have had us in the spring, liking, paring, changing lack like discomfit. <br />While they have had us sometimes, growing, carrying, like an im-mense bee. <br />Since they have refrained us in late spring, a sort of slam, thinking, <br />seeing, barbs, bees, shots, the liking shafts. <br />Until they have held us in late spring, between these shafts and <br />those shafts, knowing, shaming, between these barbs and those shafts. <br /> <br />As if they have had us in autumn, holding, meeting, like docile barbs. <br />Until they have fed us in autumn, lapping, complaining, dry as a spot. <br />Until in early spring they have run us, saying, declining, like a hand. <br />After late at night they have run us, suspecting, sounding, writing mud without clover. <br /> <br />How they babbled us, <br />those bold enterprises! <br />A bloom of their delirium <br />has brewed a load <br />to a travelled <br />breast of auto-da-fe <br />More zealous than an eye <br />How they ceased us, these presumptuous separations, <br />victorious as a <br />rumor! <br />The warmth borrowing our nerve, our standing <br />face<br /><br />Victor Marie Hugo<br /><br />http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/a-shaft-of-bees/
