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| Willow's Magpie Tales no. 35 |
The time has come.
Abundant summer and his gifts have left, the harvest has been gathered
And the last fruits are ripening on the bough in the rays of autumn’s cooling sun.
This is the time we children knew to go into the fields,
The season came upon us with a breath of autumn from the woods,
A breath we felt but once, and not before and not again
The whole year through.
And we knew the time had come to light the fires.
We watched the flames and owned the land,
The streams, the woods, the fields of all the Earth were ours.
We gladly gave the wandering swans, the cranes and geese
A share of this, our Earth.
This is the time when man had best return to shelter,
If he has none, he will not build one now.
This is the time to say goodbye to Earth’s great bounty,
Withdraw to firesides, to books, to thoughts and silent walks
Among the fallen leaves.
Love that line "withdraw to firesides." Already doing that. Great poem.
ReplyDeleteQMM
this really evokes the not so distant past but a past nonetheless.
ReplyDeletelooking forward to a little "withdrawing" myself :)
ReplyDeleteIsn't it true, the way we feel that breath of autumn, and we just know. It's here. Summer is history.
ReplyDeletei love the inward journey of this time of year as it finds its echo in the rich sunsets, the brilliant colours of the trees, and the pure light of early morning and early evening. steven
ReplyDeleteLove the inward glances, of the leaves the dances... as they fall upon this earth. The brilliance of colors and a time for firesides.
ReplyDeleteSuch a beautiful time of year.
Lovely post and I just picked the last of my tomatoes!
ReplyDeleteA true poem!
ReplyDeleteWarm Aloha from Waikiki
Comfort Spiral
Quite perfect.
ReplyDeleteEines meiner liebsten Herbstgedichte! Ich lasse Dir ganz liebe Grüße da
ReplyDeleteisabella
"... this is the time when man had best return to shelter..."
ReplyDeleteoh i wish we had autumn here.. i love the shift of human activities season after season.
like a mutilated leaf
i say, on to books and thoughts and fires! this is why i love autumn. Well done.
ReplyDeleteFriko, you write so beautifully of the seasons, the changes that come each year.
ReplyDeleteSounds just wonderful.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed this. A perfect summing up of the season. Nice writing!
ReplyDeleteMy Magpie
Beautiful words to bring back a time now gone. We no longer prepare for winter, the supermarket does that for us. A sad loss.
ReplyDeleteYes, time to batten down those hatches! Beautiful piece, Friko.
ReplyDeleteYes . . there's a moment, or a morning, when Autumn starts. The year turns on its heel, and the first frost, hard on the heels of Summer, crisps the leaves. And you have caught the moment nicely.
ReplyDeleteThis is beautiful Autumn poem.Perfect read for the evening!
ReplyDeleteLoved it! :)
My god, Friko. You had only 100 followers just a few months ago and now look at you!!! I dare to think you might miss me if I didn't leave a trace of my passage, though. So, let me say that this...."And we knew the time had come to light the fires.
ReplyDeleteWe watched the flames and owned the land,
The streams, the woods, the fields of all the Earth were ours.''....I loved. Wonderfully evocative. It communicates a certain exhilaration at being part of the land, and having worked hard to help it produce its bounty. Oh I'm just blathering, here. But wanted you to know I liked it-the whole thing.
A nice word picture of what is happening everywhere in the northern hemisphere right now.
ReplyDeleteReturning to shelter sounds so cozy and warm. :)
ReplyDelete... and a time for giving thanks. Lovely Magpie!
ReplyDeleteOn days like this when the world is swaithed in glimmering gold it is my favourite time of year, the mud on the other hand really annoys me! Beautifully put Friko as ever.
ReplyDeleteWonderful autumn.
ReplyDeleteBeautifully said - this is the time to retreat inside!
ReplyDeleteI can see you there, all bundled up
ReplyDeleteon those /silent walks among the
fallen leaves/, with your black
companion near your knee,
only glancing at you periodically,
searching the hedgerows for
squirrels and rabbits; his breath
puffing tiny clouds of lab mist,
and his thick tail thrashing the
air with his perfect joy.
I found a terrific image of a
black lab in autumn to go with
the posting of this poem over
on my site. Loved this entry,
and as always, a fine adjunct
to the swirl of magpies that
darken the skies over
Willow Manor.
...sigh...thank you for your nice reading of time and life. Please have a wonderful Friday.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful words Friko. When you said “among the fallen leaves” that brought the tune back to my mind. For the last several days I have had “Les Feuilles Mortes” running in my mind as I placed the clip of Yves Montand singing it on my latest post. It is Autumn Leaves in English. Not an exact translation which is good as the French lyrics translated into English do not sound very ..lyrical.
ReplyDeleteBeautiful, Friko. Your lovely lines will accompany me on my autumn walk this morning. I'm put in mind of a poem by Verlaine, "Chanson d'automne." I loved the way it sounded even before I knew what it meant. Your poem, like his, captures beautifully the sonorities and rhythms of autumn.
ReplyDeleteA poem for reading again, or with your permission, printing and putting on the Thanksgiving table.
ReplyDeleteThis is the time to say goodbye to Earth’s great bounty,
ReplyDeleteWithdraw to firesides, to books, to thoughts and silent walks
Among the fallen leaves.
agree,
well put!
festive tale!
Friko this is truly lovely...you took me by the hand with your beautiful words and I was there with you in the fields and in the shelter...i just love this one! :-)
ReplyDeleteLoved this pensive, melancholy take on the Magpie this week.
ReplyDeleteThe lines that caught me the most were:
"We watched the flames and owned the land,
The streams, the woods, the fields of all the Earth were ours."
Well done!
This is just a great poem. I love that you draw on the aspect of time to withdraw.
ReplyDeletethose last three things...some of my favs....i love this time of year...nice mag!
ReplyDeleteGood, really good; the last verse superb.
ReplyDeletethe whole poem was very captivating! :) the opening verse I felt was really good!
ReplyDeleteMy Magpie Is Here:
http://leonnyes.wordpress.com/2010/10/07/wanderer/
Lovely.It is time to hunker down, isn't it? Thank you.
ReplyDelete