Autumn
Autumn: the year breathes dully towards its death,
beside its dying sacrificial fire;
the dim world's middle-age of vain desire
is strangely troubled, waiting for the breath
that speaks the winter's welcome malison
to fix it in the unremembering sleep:
the silent woods brood o'er an anxious deep,
and in the faded sorrow of the sun,
I see my dreams' dead colours, one by one,
forth-conjur'd from their smouldering palaces,
fade slowly with the sigh of the passing year.
They wander not nor wring their hands nor weep,
discrown'd belated dreams! but in the drear
and lingering world we sit among the trees
and bow our heads as they, with frozen mouth,
looking, in ashen reverie, towards the clear
sad splendour of the winter of the far south.
~~
Christopher Brennan (1870-1932), 1906
from Poems, 1913
[Poem is in the public domain in Canada, the United States, and the European Union]
Christopher Brennan biography
Autumn being death approaching. The season having breath; laboring breath. Autumn's fire dying. Troubling to sense impending death. Winter's welcome (?) curse; malediction. As if autumn welcomes winter in order to surrender to oblivious sleep; as if this death is a relief or a consignment delivered, a giving in and giving up. Afterall surely autumn knows ... unless autumn is reborn anew year after year, unknowing its inevitable fate. The woods, the sun sense/feel the known inevitable passing changes; all that's been growing vibrant and alive is fading as the merciless cold does its worst. The poet likens the "fading slowly" autumnal season to his own life, "discrown'd belated dreams!" Thoughts inspired by the impending doom that autumn's forbearance, and winters frigid repose, can bestow. The poem reflects the disillusionment and pessimism of the era, no doubt ... parallels which hold true for today. 1906 really not that terribly long ago.
ReplyDeleteThank you George Dance ... I got stuck into this poem, giving it much thought. Is there a 'spondee' in there somewhere? Learning the rhythm of the choice words, can relate to the subject of the poem.
Thank you George Dance for your tremendous effort here! Myself, as a hopefully becoming poet ... learning slowly but surely ... at my leisure... your gift greatly appreciated! 💟💟💟💟💟💟