Autumn Song.
The great winds blew through the woods at noon,1
Late noon, when the sun was cold ;2
Stray shifting breaths from the thin white moon3
Flew over the beds of marigold,4
And the one late rose forgotten of June.5
Summer was dead—we both knew that,6
I and my song that loved the sun ;7
We wanted to hear the brown bird’s chat,8
And listened ; but only one by one9
The red loose leaves fell down where we sat.10
And Love was dead—we knew it well,11
Love who came with the buds in May ;12
It were a sorrowful thing to tell13
How he sickened, and fell away14
Without one sigh, without one farewell.15
There was an end of all sweet things, too—16
All rhymes, and laughter, and tender hours17
Dreamed out together, the lips that grew,18
Sighing a little, and sad, to ours—19
This also surely we knew.20
We could not utter it, being alone,21
But the tears sprang up unaware,22
For the glad green spring, forgotten and flown,23
The tender touch of his hands and hair,24
And the new life, yet unknown.25