A poem describing the fall of a classic civilisation but told with chilling present day relevance. All civilisations fall, and the ingredients of their downfalls repeat over and over.
Lamenting a lost youth, but celebrating the eternal nature of the universe. Some say this poem is a polemic about the 2nd World War - but if so, the references are typically opaque and obtuse.
"In headaches and in worries, vaguely life leaks away." Basically we don't last forever. Meanwhile time watches from the shadows, and "coughs when we would kiss". I put this poem firmly in the nihilist pile.