To Autumn - A poem by John Keats

John Keats - To Autumn

I
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
   Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
   With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
To bend with apples the moss'd cottage-trees,
   And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
       To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
   With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
       For Summer has o'er-brimm'd their clammy cells.

II
Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
   Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
   Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reap'd furrow sound asleep,
   Drows'd with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
       Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers:
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
   Steady thy laden head across a brook;
   Or by a cyder-press, with patient look,
       Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours.

III
Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
   Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,--
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day,
   And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
   Among the river sallows, borne aloft
       Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
   Hedge-crickets sing; and now with treble soft
   The red-breast whistles from a garden-croft;
       And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

Added: on October 11th, 2005 at 4:06 AM | Viewed: 9705 times | Comments (10)

To Autumn - Comments and Information
Poet: John Keats Poem: To Autumn Poem of the Day on: Oct 17 2007 Comment 10 of 10, added on December 20th, 2005 at 8:27 AM. I like the way that keats used the figurative language because it represents his high level of thinking. Sanaa from Oman Comment 9 of 10, added on December 4th, 2005 at 4:49 PM. While this poem does have beautiful tactile imagery of the bounty of Autumn, Keats does recognize that Autumn is the beginning of the end. When Autumn is over the full-grown lambs will be slaughtered and winter or death will come over the land. This is demonstated by the inactiviy in the second stanze "Thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours." And the slower pace of the second and third stanzas. Leslie from United States Comment 8 of 10, added on October 11th, 2005 at 4:06 AM. The tone of the poem is soft and mellow. The diction enhances the mood of the poem because it is feminine and slow instead of harsh. You would think this poem is written by a woman because of the words used. The poem probably comes across written by a woman because Keats describes autumn almost like a pregnant mother. It has a maternal feel about it I think the best line to convey that message is ‘conspiring with him how best to load and bless.’ This reminds me of a pregnant woman because of the words ‘load and bless’. This kind of language makes the poem seem to be written by a woman. Lydia from United Kingdom More Comments >> Are you looking for more information on this poem? Perhaps you are trying to analyze it? The poem, To Autumn, has received 10 comments. Click here to read them, and perhaps post a comment of your own. Of course you can also always discuss poems by John Keats with others on the Poetry Connection poetry forum!

Poem Info
To Autumn Last read: 2008-07-05 11:58:12 Poem of the Day on: Oct 17 2007 Viewed 9705 times. Added on October 11th, 2005 at 4:06 AM.

Keats Info
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