The Silver Sage
Are you ready? Come on along and read some homespun poetry as well as a jot and tittle regarding distinguished poets and their works. Gael offers a positive balance of her own nostalgia notes and poetic meanderings with those of others. [Editor's note: Gael no longer contributes to Silver Planet, but we have made her archived blog entries available as a service to our readers.]
Autumn
“Go, sit upon the lofty hill . . .”
Here’s an excerpt from “The Autumn,” by Elizabeth Barrett Browning (1806-1861):
Go, sit upon the lofty hill,
And turn your eyes around,
Where waving woods and waters wild
Do hymn an autumn sound.
The summer sun is faint on them —
The summer flowers depart —
Sit still — as all transform'd to stone,
Except your musing heart.
By the end of September, the air has already changed the way we feel here in the Rockies. Metaphorically speaking, of course, we go from a sense of freewheeling summer to sober, mellow autumn. And, yes, it is the very best time to go sit upon the lofty hill and turn your eyes around.
You will see that the trees have wrapped themselves in a shawl of golden brilliance, as if to guard themselves against the impending storms and nakedness of winter. They seem to sigh as they wait. How like the trees we humans are—completely vulnerable to the storms of life.
A chord in the hymn of autumn is the unmistakable giggle of squirrels as they gather and hoard nuts for what lies ahead. Foxes are also caching food, but they are too stealthy to be heard in the melody. Perhaps they are the grace notes of autumn?
A fainter summer sun shines on departing wildflowers, long past blooming—their seeds scattered on the forest floor to await the coming of spring and the invitation to new life.
Sit still. Sit still. And reflect within your heart . . .
By Gael Stuart
The Silver Sage Blog
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