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Apparently with no surprise To any happy flower, The frost beheads it at its play In accidental power. The blond assassin passes on, The sun proceeds unmoved To measure off another day For an approving God.

Where these words come from

How sure this is
95% sureThese words were traced back to where they first appeared. That source is listed below.
What turned up
Death and Life, Poems: First Series (1890); Exact wording and attribution checked. Wording follows the early edited Poems editions (1890–1891), which differ from modern manuscript editions. Complete poem confronting the natural world’s apparent indifference to the flower killed by frost.
Work
Death and Life, Poems: First Series (1890)
Sources checked
  • gutenberg.orgChecked using manual, 21 October 2026Death and Life, Poems: First Series (1890); Exact wording and attribution checked. Wording follows the early edited Poems editions (1890–1891), which differ from modern manuscript editions. Complete poem confronting the natural world’s apparent indifference to the flower killed by frost.

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