David Mitchell - Time rolls by

Time rolls by like a ceaseless and bubbling stream:
Time rolls by while we wake, time rolls by while we dream:
Time rolls slowly but sure when we want it to rush:
When we want Time to stop, O how fast the stream’s gush!

Time is constant alone in this world of decay:
We may trust the succession of night and of day:
We are born, and we die, all surrounded by change;
But the river of Time from its course shall not range.

What shall be, when the river arrive at the sea,
When the Lord shall proclaim each one’s last destiny?
When our tears are in vain, and repentance too late,
If we’re still unprepared for our ultimate fate?

David Mitchell

http://www.poemhunter.com/poem/time-rolls-by/