I would if I could choose
Age and die outwards¹ as a tulip does;
Not as this iris² drawing in, in-coiling
Its complex strange taut³ inflorescence, willing
Itself a bud again - though all achieved is
No more than a clenched⁴ sadness,
The tears of gum not flowing.
I would choose the tulip's reckless way of going;
Whose petals⁵ answer light, altering by fractions
From closed to wide, from one through many perfections,
Till wrecked⁶, flamboyant⁷, strayed beyond recall,
Like flakes⁸ of fire they piecemeal⁹ fall.

   相关单词：

    coiling：n.卷绕， 成卷

    inflorescence：n.开花

    clenched：v.紧握

    fractions：n.碎片

    flamboyant：色彩艳丽的；灿烂辉煌的