Another Time

The shepherd unrolls his bedding, Too late to get back home, He must lie, his head on desert rock, ‘Til the raising of the dawn. He wonders what he cannot see Behind the stars that shine above, Does his mother look down on him, With her old tenderness and love. Does the wind catch the sound of tambourines, Are there gauze-draped dancers twirling? Such were the dreams of a shepherd, Before the universe went swirling.