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Again the veld revives,Again the veld revives
Again the veld revives,
Imbued2 with lyric3 rains,
And sap re-sweetening dry stalks
Perfumes the quickening4 plains;
Small roots explode in strings of stars, 5
Each bulb gives up its dream,
Honey drips from orchid throats,
Jewels each raceme5;
The desert sighs at dawn—
As in another hemisphere 10
The temple lotus6 breaks her buds
On the attentive air—
A frou-frou7 of new flowers,
Puff of unruffling petals,
While rods of sunlight strike pure streams 15
From rocks beveined with metals;
Far in the gaunt karroo
That winter earth denudes,
Ironstone caves give back the burr8
Of lambs in multitudes; 20
Grass waves again where drought
Bleached every upland kraal,
A peach-tree shoots along the wind
Pink volleys through a broken wall,
And willows growing round the dam 25
May now be seen
With all their traceries9 of twigs
Just hesitating to be green,
Soon to be hung with colonies
All swaying with the leaves 30
Of pendent wicker love-nests
The pretty loxia weaves.
Once more, the open grassland comes back to life,
Filled with poetic rains,
And the sap makes dry stalks sweet again,
Filling the lively plains with fragrance;
Tiny roots burst like stars,
Each bulb releases its dream,
Honey flows from the throats of orchids,
Adorning each flower cluster with jewels;
The desert breathes a sigh at dawn—
Just like in another part of the world,
The temple lotus opens its buds
In the attentive air—
A rustling sound of new flowers,
A puff of petals smoothing out,
As beams of sunlight hit clear streams
From rocks lined with metals;
Far in the barren semi-desert region
That winter strips bare,
Ironstone caves echo the sound
Of many lambs;
Grass sways again where drought
Had bleached every upland kraal,
A peach-tree sends pink bursts along the wind
Through a broken wall,
And willows around the dam
Can now be seen
With their intricate patterns of twigs
Just starting to turn green,
Soon to be covered with colonies
All moving with the leaves
Of hanging wicker love-nests
That the pretty bird weaves.