I stand midst ruins from the past.
Great buildings that were meant to last,
to show the power of some king
I think time conquers everything.
The old gods die and temples fall
but leave perhaps a standing wall
On which we can see faint writing.
I think time conquers everything,
The glories of the past passé’
There’s nought but rubble left today
and memories to which men cling
I think time conquers everything
And yet perhaps not strictly true
I see the branches of a yew.
An ancient tree still flourishing
Time does not conquer everything.
Time can destroy the works of man.
The evidence shows that it can
The yew tree is a living thing
which stubbornly keeps on growing.
Perhaps the tree will conquer time
if we take the long term view
and see it as a paradigm.
The parts which die it can renew
20-May-07
ivor .e hogg
http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/beating-time/
