Tuleps

Yes, daughter, let them bloom.
     Plant them in the fall.
Let them sleep in frozen sod
     Deep beneath the pall.

There in icy winter's seize
     Let the tulep sleep.
Wait for spring to thaw the ground
     While cold winter keeps.

Blooming comes when blooming comes,
     For but half an hour.
Most our time is spent in rest:
     Death before the flower.

Plant the tulep in the fall,
     Stay through winter's course.
When the sun in spring comes up,
     Look for life to burst.

Hard the lesson, hard the ground,
     Frozen in Death's grip.
Soft the soil sun uncoils
     Through which tuleps rip.

Then, daughter, watch them bloom
     As your spirit sings.
See them rise to kiss the skies
     When from death they spring.

Holy resurrection, there:
     Find faith in a flower.
Life and death, blood and breath
     Teach us holy power.

Yes, daughter, let them bloom.
     See them in the spring.
Plant them in the fall, then wait.
     Winter, first, is king.