the gift of restoration, unwittingly received

W.H. Auden, from his Horae Canonicae: That, while we are thus away, our own wronged flesh May work undisturbed, restoring The order we try to destroy, the rhythm We spoil out of spite: valves close And open exactly, glands secrete, Vessels contract and expand At the right moment, essential fluids Flow to renew exhausted cells,...