{"id":42048,"date":"2024-03-28T06:30:25","date_gmt":"2024-03-27T17:30:25","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/?p=42048"},"modified":"2024-03-24T16:37:44","modified_gmt":"2024-03-24T03:37:44","slug":"autumnal","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/helenlowe.info\/blog\/2024\/03\/28\/autumnal\/","title":{"rendered":"Autumnal"},"content":{"rendered":"

The year has been feeling somewhat autumnal lately: mostly it’s a quality of the light and burnish on leaves before they fully turn, as well as the nights growing cooler and the days shortening at both ends, but it’s a lovely time of year. One of my favourites, although I find much to like in every season.<\/p>\n

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Yep, it’s autumn here…<\/p><\/div>\n

Anyway, the change of season has me thinking about poetry, and when it comes to autumn, its hard to go past Keats’ classic, To Autumn<\/em><\/strong>:<\/p>\n

“Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,<\/em><\/span>
\nClose bosom-friend of the maturing sun;<\/em><\/span>
\nConspiring with him to load and bless<\/em><\/span>
\nWith fruit the vines that round the thatch eaves run…”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

To read the full poem, click here: Ode To Autumn: John Keats<\/a><\/p>\n

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Like many successful poems, it’s also loaned “season of mists” to the title of other works, such as Anne Mather’s Season of Mists<\/em>, Sarah Woodhouse’s A Season of Mists<\/em>, and Season of Mists<\/em> in Neil Gaiman’s “Sandman” series of graphic novels.<\/p>\n

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Another favourite that is centered in autumn, both in setting and emotional weight (although not about the season, as such) is Ezra Pound’s The River Merchant’s Wife<\/em><\/strong>:<\/p>\n

“…The leaves fall early this autumn, in wind<\/em><\/span>
\nThe paired butterflies are already yellow with August<\/em><\/span>
\nOver the grass in the West garden…”<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

To read the full poem, click on The Poetry Foundation site, here<\/a><\/p>\n

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Seasonal change is one of the enduring characteristics of haiku, and the following one of the most famous examples from Haiku master, Matsuo Basho:<\/p>\n

A solitary\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/span>
\ncrow on a bare branch–\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 <\/em><\/span>
\nautumn evening<\/em><\/span><\/p>\n

by Matsuo Basho 1644-1694, translated by Sam Hamill<\/p>\n

Other autumn poems I’ve featured …on Anything, Really<\/em> include:<\/p>\n