Don't let it stop — oh, that inscrutable time!
And now and then,
you never turn its flow back to the prime
to start again.
Swift as an arrow, elusive as the light,
it's running out.
Hang on your boat, catch at a straw, hold tight —
it's keeping count.
Rise from the ashes, stand up to the last,
try all your best.
Just listen to the beat — so fast, so fast! —
inside your breast.
Don't let it stop, while ticks and beats away,
and thumps and sands,
unless it crosses out your final day
with ruthless hands.