| Margarete Münsterberg, ed., trans. A Harvest of German Verse. 1916. | | | | Autumn Day | | By Rainer Maria Rilke (1875–1926) |
| | | LORD: it is time. The summer was so grand. | |
| Upon sundials now Thy shadow lay, | |
| Set free Thy winds and send them o’er the land. | |
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| Command to ripen those last fruits of Thine; | |
| And give them two more southern days of grace | 5 |
| To reach their perfect fullness, and then chase | |
| The final sweetness into heavy wine. | |
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| Who now is homeless, ne’er will build a home. | |
| Who now is lonely, long alone will stay, | |
| Will watch and read and write long letters gray, | 10 |
| And in the long lanes to and fro will roam | |
| All restless, as the drifting fall-leaves stray. | | | | |
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