<html><head><meta http-equiv="Content-Type" content="text/html; charset=utf-8"></head><body style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class=""><div dir="auto" style="word-wrap: break-word; -webkit-nbsp-mode: space; line-break: after-white-space;" class="">The Swan<div class=""><br class=""></div><div class=""><div class=""><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: calc(2.1em - 28px) 0px 1.1em; color: rgb(22, 33, 39); line-height: 1.6; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><span class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Did you too see it, drifting, all night, on the black river?</span></p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: calc(2.1em - 28px) 0px 1.1em; color: rgb(22, 33, 39); line-height: 1.6; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><span class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Did you see it in the morning, rising into the silvery air –</span></p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: calc(2.1em - 28px) 0px 1.1em; color: rgb(22, 33, 39); line-height: 1.6; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><span class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">An armful of white blossoms,</span></p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: calc(2.1em - 28px) 0px 1.1em; color: rgb(22, 33, 39); line-height: 1.6; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><span class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">A perfect commotion of silk and linen as it leaned</span></p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: calc(2.1em - 28px) 0px 1.1em; color: rgb(22, 33, 39); line-height: 1.6; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><span class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">into the bondage of its wings; a snowbank, a bank of lilies,</span></p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: calc(2.1em - 28px) 0px 1.1em; color: rgb(22, 33, 39); line-height: 1.6; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><span class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Biting the air with its black beak?</span></p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: calc(2.1em - 28px) 0px 1.1em; color: rgb(22, 33, 39); line-height: 1.6; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><span class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Did you hear it, fluting and whistling</span></p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: calc(2.1em - 28px) 0px 1.1em; color: rgb(22, 33, 39); line-height: 1.6; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><span class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">A shrill dark music – like the rain pelting the trees – like a waterfall</span></p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: calc(2.1em - 28px) 0px 1.1em; color: rgb(22, 33, 39); line-height: 1.6; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><span class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Knifing down the black ledges?</span></p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: calc(2.1em - 28px) 0px 1.1em; color: rgb(22, 33, 39); line-height: 1.6; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><span class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">And did you see it, finally, just under the clouds –</span></p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: calc(2.1em - 28px) 0px 1.1em; color: rgb(22, 33, 39); line-height: 1.6; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><span class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">A white cross Streaming across the sky, its feet</span></p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: calc(2.1em - 28px) 0px 1.1em; color: rgb(22, 33, 39); line-height: 1.6; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><span class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Like black leaves, its wings </span><span class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">Like the stretching light of the river?</span></p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: calc(2.1em - 28px) 0px 1.1em; color: rgb(22, 33, 39); line-height: 1.6; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><span class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">And did you feel it, in your heart, how it pertained to everything?</span></p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: calc(2.1em - 28px) 0px 1.1em; color: rgb(22, 33, 39); line-height: 1.6; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><span class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;"><span class="">And have you too finally figured out what beauty is for?</span></span></p><p class="" style="box-sizing: border-box; margin: calc(2.1em - 28px) 0px 1.1em; color: rgb(22, 33, 39); line-height: 1.6; font-variant-ligatures: normal; letter-spacing: 0.1px; orphans: 2; widows: 2; background-color: rgb(255, 255, 255); text-decoration-thickness: initial;"><span class="" style="box-sizing: border-box;">And have you changed your life?</span></p><div class=""><span class="Apple-tab-span" style="white-space:pre"> </span>- Mary Oliver</div></div></div></div></body></html>