Bored in a coign of the Garden of
Eden,
A houri woefully cried:
"Nobody told us of the things that happen
On Eden’s nether side.
"What are morning, evening, night and day?
They are all above my head.
O tell me what they mean when they say
One is born or one is dead."
Changing herself to a breath of fragrance,
She appeared in a rose’s form;
And in this way she took up residence
Where day and night are the norm.
She opened her eyes and became a bud:
Then she laughed and she burst
Forth into a rose; but presently shed
Her petals in the dust.
Of that innocent damsel who chose to fly
From Eden’s magic frame
There is one memento left a sigh,
And fragrance is its name.