'An old untried illusion'

The afternoon is bright,
with spring in the air,
a mild March afternoon,
with the breath of April stirring,
I am alone in the quiet patio
looking for some old untried illusion -
some shadow on the whiteness of the wall
some memory asleep
on the stone rim of the fountain,
perhaps in the air
the light swish of some trailing gown.

- - Antonio Machado (1875-1939)
   Selected Poems, #3, Translated by Alan S. Trueblood