To Autumn

Autumn is inescapably a season of transformation and constant change; therefore, the only way to truly appreciate it is to be mindful and alive in each individual moment. Each line of the poem is written in present tense and deeply rooted in the here and now. The first stanza introduces the imagery of growth and change held in beautiful, temporary stasis: “the vines that round the thatch-eves run” (Line 4); “the moss’d cottage-trees” (Line 5) hung with apples; “plump [...] hazel shells” (Line 7); and, most vividly, the image of the bees working in their hive who “think warm days will never cease” (Line 10). The bees are basking in the abundance that summer is leaving behind as it makes way for the autumn season. The natural world has reached its zenith and is pausing to enjoy the fruits, literal and metaphorical, of its labors.

The second stanza continues this period of repose and mindfulness as Autumn rests in the granary after the harvest, watching the cider being made “hours by hours” (Line 22), with an implied sense of gratitude for the time that it takes, and the ability to sit and watch.