Quotemail: October Poems!

 Hello everyone –

Quotemail returns from its late-summer hiatus to share some reflections & poems about the month of October. First of all, here’s Sophie with an intro and a poem of her own!

Sophie Says:

Autumn is a season of celebration, when the Earth dresses in her finest raiment. The colorful leaves of trees and plants are nature's way of reminding us to pay attention to the wonder and beauty of the world. Let's explore some poetry that celebrates October, the month of harvest, when nature's riches are revealed for all to see!

 

“Celebrate October!”

By Sophie Fairgate, Quotemaster 😊

 

Oh, October, oh, how you enchant us

With your days of gold and amber light.

Your crisp evenings, cool and balmy,

Bedeck the trees with scarlet and vermillion,

And leaves of russet and orange.

How wonderful to bask in the beauty

Of your splendid autumn glory!

 

“A Calendar of Sonnets: October”

By Helen Hunt Jackson (1830-1885)

 

The month of carnival of all the year,

When Nature lets the wild earth go its way,

And spend whole seasons on a single day.

The spring-time holds her white and purple dear;

October, lavish, flaunts them far and near;

The summer charily her reds doth lay

Like jewels on her costliest array;

October, scornful, burns them on a bier.

The winter hoards his pearls of frost in sign

Of kingdom: whiter pearls than winter knew,

Or empress wore, in Egypt's ancient line,

October, feasting 'neath her dome of blue,

Drinks at a single draught, slow filtered through

Sunshiny air, as in a tingling wine!

 

“October’s Bright Blue Weather”

By Helen Hunt Jackson

 

O suns and skies and clouds of June,

And flowers of June together,

Ye cannot rival for one hour

October’s bright blue weather;

 

When loud the bumble-bee makes haste,

Belated, thriftless vagrant,

And Golden-Rod is dying fast,

And lanes with grapes are fragrant;

 

When Gentians roll their fringes tight

To save them for the morning,

And chestnuts fall from satin burrs

Without a sound of warning;

 

When on the ground red apples lie

In piles like jewels shining,

And redder still on old stone walls

Are leaves of woodbine twining;

 

When all the lovely wayside things

Their white-winged seeds are sowing,

And in the fields, still green and fair,

Late aftermaths are growing;

 

When springs run low, and on the brooks,

In idle golden freighting,

Bright leaves sink noiseless in the hush

Of woods, for winter waiting;

 

When comrades seek sweet country haunts,

By twos and twos together,

And count like misers, hour by hour,

October’s bright blue weather.

 

O suns and skies and flowers of June,

Count all your boasts together,

Love loveth best of all the year

October’s bright blue weather.

 

“October’s Party”

By George Cooper (1840-1927)

 

October gave a party;

The leaves by hundreds came—

The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples,

And leaves of every name.

The Sunshine spread a carpet,

And everything was grand,

Miss Weather led the dancing,

Professor Wind the band.

 

The Chestnuts came in yellow,

The Oaks in crimson dressed;

The lovely Misses Maple

In scarlet looked their best;

All balanced to their partners,

And gaily fluttered by;

The sight was like a rainbow

New fallen from the sky.

 

Then, in the rustic hollow,

At hide-and-seek they played,

The party closed at sundown,

And everybody stayed.

Professor Wind played louder;

They flew along the ground;

And then the party ended

In jolly "hands around."

 

Here’s a digital image of the Editor, at about age 12, observing the Full Hunter’s Moon in his backyard. (Image Credit: The Editor)

 

The Full Hunter’s Moon will be visible on the night of October 16-17, coming up this week – enjoy! 😊

 

TTFN,

Rob & Sophie