Neath the old oaks mossed and grey
Whose shadows seem as old as they
Where time hath many seasons won
Since aught beneath them saw the sun
Within these bramble solitudes
The ragged noisy boy intrudes
To gather nuts that ripe and brown
As soon as shook will patter down
Thus harvest ends its busy reign
And leaves the fields their peace again
Where autumns shadows idly muse
And tinge the trees with many hues
Amid whose scenes I'm feign to dwell
And sing of what I love so well
But hollow winds and tumbling floods
And humming showers and moaning woods
All startle into sudden strife
And wake a mighty lay to life
Making amid their strains divine
All songs in vain as mean as mine.
A quick post to get September's excerpt from The Shepherd's Calendar in before it's too late. For those of you who are keen naturalists I do realise that the venerable tree at the start of the poem is a beech and not an oak but it's such a wonderful old tree that I decided to use a little poetic licence:)
19 comments:
I enjoy these posts so much - thank you for your work on them. This one is so peaceful.
What lovely words to accompany such beautiful photos. Thank you.
Beautiful photos, and so fitting to the Calendar. This lovely time of change has been so quick in coming, - hardly enough time to enjoy all the days of September so especially wonderful to have them immortalized in your posting. Thanks you for this.
Such lovely photos and the poem goes with them so well.
Great to have you back, Rowan. I love this posting, just as I have loved the previous postings on The Shepherd's Calendar. Lovely photos, and I especially like the fourth one of the brightly lit glade.
Another beautiful post Rowan. And that tree at the beginning of the post is gorgeous!
lovely Rowan~just perfect...even the beech tree! we have a lot just up the road and our friend always has a handful of beech nuts when he walks his dogs there.
Lovely post Rowan. What a marvellous old tree! I love them.
Fabulous atmospheric and autumnal post Rowan. xxxx
A lovely post Rowan.
I think Edmund Spenser would approve of your poetic licence.
Lovely auntumnal post - especially like the new header, too:)
Great to have you back, missed you Blogging, know you enjoyed your family's visit.
Lovely pictures and post, anxiously awaiting Autumn here, it needs to come soon.
Missed your blogging and especially your beautiful photos. Thanks for the lovely "virtual" walk in the woods. Starting to get cool here. Forcasted to be in the mid 20's C all week. Getting so cool here that this last time I changed my sheets I had to put the bedspread back on! I love how you change your blog heading picture to suit the season. Great picture.
I loved seeing that magnificent Beech tree, so glad you used poetic license. Beeches are my favorite tree here on our property, they grow in shapes all their own, one is splitting straight up the whole middle length.
Your photos go so well with the verses, Rowan... loved the Nuts that Ripe and Brown, the Autumn Shadows and Tumbling Flood photos.
Rowan,
That beech tree is spectacular. Perfect for a medieval setting and knightly tale!
rel
Dear Rowan, i haven't visited since forever! tit! But have so enjoyed catching up. This post is a beautiful ode to my september. Those words paint such a picture, i am working on an autumn piece just now & i am inspired, thank you. I loved seeing the photos of you family, it looks as though you are all having a wonderful time, such precious moments, enjoy x ruthie x
A wonderful pick me up.
I agree about beeches, so majestic, I love the beeches in our local forest.
...Tramp
I'm sure the old tree could tell some stories if only it could talk!
The freshly ploughed fields look lovely, ours are still filled with corn for winter feed for livestock. This is such a beautiful time of year and so many poets were(are)inspired by it.
hugs
xx
Absolutely wonderful post, Rowan. The images are gorgeous!
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