Poetry Sunday: September by Helen Hunt Jackson
The beginning of September means that the year is winding down. But wasn't it only yesterday that it was February? It must be true that the older we get the more time flies. This year has seemed but a brief moment. Now my yard is aflutter with the autumn's yellow sulphur butterflies and I wonder what happened on that day of one September that the poet never could forget...
September
by Helen Hunt Jackson
The golden-rod is yellow;
The corn is turning brown;
The trees in apple orchards
With fruit are bending down.
The gentian's bluest fringes
Are curling in the sun;
In dusty pods the milkweed
Its hidden silk has spun.
The sedges flaunt their harvest,
In every meadow nook;
And asters by the brook-side
Make asters in the brook.
From dewy lanes at morning
the grapes' sweet odors rise;
At noon the roads all flutter
With yellow butterflies.
By all these lovely tokens
September days are here,
With summer's best of weather,
And autumn's best of cheer.
But none of all this beauty
Which floods the earth and air
Is unto me the secret
Which makes September fair.
'T is a thing which I remember;
To name it thrills me yet:
One day of one September
I never can forget.
That “one day of one September” is probably one day we all remember where we were.
ReplyDeleteJackson died in 1885 so her remembered day would not be the one indelibly emblazoned in our memories.
DeleteAsters are one of my favorite fall flowers. Lovely poem. :D
ReplyDeleteMine, too! They are beautiful. I'm glad you like the poem. It's a favorite of mine.
Delete...we sure are in a period of change. Mother Nature is about ready to get out a new wardrobe.
ReplyDeleteThat change comes very slowly here near the Gulf Coast.
DeleteWonderful poem. Thank you for sharing it. I wonder what made it so very special for her.
ReplyDeleteI guess we'll never know.
DeleteThe beautiful clear skies of September will always remind me of what we will commemorate again this coming Wednesday because it was a stunningly beautiful day in New York State until... but I was writing a blog post for Tuesday and I have apples and goldenrod in it. We are on similar wavelengths today!
ReplyDeleteThe changing season seems to bring such thoughts to mind.
DeleteWe monitor butterflies at a local park once a week, and this week the number of Little Yellows and Cloudless Sulphurs soared. Interesting, as I didn't realize they were more abundant in September.
ReplyDeleteAnd, oh my, I agree with you about time speeding up. We are going to yet another funeral tomorrow. I must remember to enjoy every moment here.
My yard is filled with the sulphurs at the moment. Every blossom seems to have its own contingent.
DeleteSeptember is one of my favorite months and also one of the saddest. What a perfect poem for brining in the fall! Thank you for sharing!
ReplyDeleteIt does describe the month very well, doesn't it? I think it must have been a favorite of the poet's as well.
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