Poems (Charlotte Allen)/Autumn (Stern Autumn reigns! the leaves fall fast)

by Charlotte Allen

For works with similar titles, see Autumn.

AUTUMN.

Stern Autumn reigns! the leaves fall fast,
Borne onward by the threatening blast;
The flowers are faded,—no verdure is seen,
The fields and foliage no longer are green.
Sullen and chill is the Autumn breeze,
Pouring its notes through the leafless trees.
The warbler's voice hath ceased to cheer,
And all the plants are withered and sere.
The sweets of summer lie scattered and dead,
Neglected, forgot, on the earth's cold bed.
Blow, winds, blow! the leaves fall fast,
For winter is near, and the summer's past.

The air hath lost its sweet perfume,
All nature is dressed in a garb of gloom;
The murmuring stream and the silent grove,
The whispering breeze and the voice of love,
The moon's mild beam, or the twilight hour,
The rustic grot, or the woodbine bower,
Attract no more the step of the maid,
Who loves at eve to rove the glade;
For the air is cold, the dews are chill,
Descending around her favorite hill.
Blow, winds, blow! the leaves fall fast,
For winter is near, and the summer 's past