O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
Tomorrow’s wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
Tomorrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow.
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know.
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away.
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes’ sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—
For the grapes’ sake along the wall.
5 comments:
One of my favourites. I love the line, 'Make the day seem less brief to us.' Oh the joy of autumnal days.
I hate to say it, but it looks as though that often quoted, rarely seen, obscure, deeply profound Texas born Trystan Guilberd (sp.) must be intimidated by all these great poets and poems.
It pains me to think of a Texan backing down from such a challenge. Maybe autumn days back in Houston were not very memorable. Maybe he is not alert to the beauties of the season surrounding him.
Good comment, Lawrence. I had not noticed that great line before.
Actually, Tristan has been goaded into action. Watch this space!
By the way, Tristan's favorite line is "Beguile us in the way you know." But, I for one, love the idea of the "release" of one leaf at a time in order to "retard the sun with gentle mist" or to "enchant the land with amethyst." Ah, "slow, slow!"
George,
Frost's work always takes me back to the New England area. Are you familiar with "Gathering Leaves"? Just as some theological concepts have to be held in tangent, "October" should probably be held in tangent with "Gathering Leaves"--the glories of autumn with the effects of the fall.
This tempts me to pull out my Robert Frost poems and start reading, but "I have promises to keep, and miles to go before I sleep."
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