Visiting Stanley Kunitz
Michael Longley

I have flown the Atlantic
To reach you in your chair.
Cuddling（拥抱） up, we talk about
Flowers, important things,
And hold hands to celebrate
Spring gentian's heavenly
(Strictly speaking) blue.
You grow anemones¹（海葵，银莲花） ,
You say, wind's daughters.
I say the world should name
A flower after you, Stanley.
We read each other poems.
You who'll be a hundred soon
Take forever to sign
My copy of Passing Through.
What flower can I offer you
From Ireland? Bog² asphodel
Is the colour of your shirt.
Grass of Parnassus? Mountain
Everlasting³ in New York?
Your zimmer-gavotte（嘉禾舞） suggests
Madder with its goose-grassy
Tenacity⁴（韧性，固执） , your age-spots
Winter-flowering mudwort.
But no, no. Let it be
Spring gentian, summer sky
At sunset, Athene's eyes,
Five petals⁵, earthbound（只在地面的） star.