Page:Poems Strong.djvu/62

From Wikisource
Jump to navigation Jump to search
This page has been proofread, but needs to be validated.
A WARM DAY IN AUTUMN
Through bare and leafless trees the breezes blow,
The sun shines warm and bright on moor and fell,
The slowly-dying summer, loth to go,
A moment lingers for one last farewell.

The distant hills, enwrapped in purple haze,
Stand silent, mute, like sentinels on guard;
The brook no longer brawls in pebbly ways,
But noiselessly flows on past grim rocks hard.

The joyous birds o'er land and sea have sped,
Seeking deathless summer in some far-off clime;
The golden-rod has bowed its stately head
In resignation to the law of time.

Only the sun defies that stern command
And strives with warmth to stay the fleeting breath;
All tenderly its rays enfold the land,
Gilding with light the placid guise of death.

22