Saturday 18 September 2010

Metamorphosis


Ode to Autumn by John Keats
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'erbrimmed their clammy cells.
Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep,
Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers;
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.
Where are the songs of Spring?
Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, -
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing, and now with treble soft
The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies
I adore this poem. I wish he'd written a poem Ode to having more time in the day to spend reading romantic poetry... but he didn't. He was too busy writing one called Ode to Indolence then contracting TB poor man. Why were great artists so tortured?
This photograph was taken last Autumn (and played with in Photoshop this very morning); a moment in time captured by camera as the Spring flowers and Summer berries metamorphosis once again and return to the earth to begin life again next Spring. My entry for the Inspiration Avenue weekly challenge.

17 comments:

  1. oh gosh! i love john keats ... use to read him at collage ... love his odes ... man .. you brought back memories!!

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  2. Oh what a lovely pic, it's beauty honouring the seasons, each stage a portent of the next!

    Thanks for the words and pic.

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  3. I wish he'd written a poem Ode to having more time in the day to spend reading romantic poetry...

    aaahhh...me too! wouldn't that have been divine...this is a wonderful picture you have taken reflecting upon the season that once was and now is again...warm wishes and brightest blessings~

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  4. Hi Lisa..brilliant post...gorgeous imagery and prose !! Have a most magical day!
    Victoria~

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  5. Thank you for sharing that beautiful prose, I enjoyed it very much and the photo was perfect!

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  6. lovely! I enjoyed this with my saturday morning coffee, to read and see. I love autumn......

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  7. just perfect in word and image! love it!

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  8. lovely post and your blog remake looks fantastic!! so dreamy and beautiful!!!

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  9. Ah yes, well I have mixed feelings about autumn. True, it is beautiful, I love going to the farmers market and seeing the rows upon rows of produce in all their glory. I might even enjoy autumn if our winters were so darned long but for me it is a taste of what is coming - the snow (and the shovelling), the extra clothes, the feeling of never getting really, really warm. Summer is my season, I come alive then. But the imagery you posted is very beautiful, I'm enjoying it in the moment!

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  10. Your blog is morphing into one of my favorites.
    Love the writing you did yesterday,love poetry,
    great photography and love your art!

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  11. How great to be treated to this classic, of which we so often only get to hear the opening line, thanks.

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  12. you have a lovely way of pairing art with just the right words-your own words are included in that compliment!

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  13. First, I'm not sure if I told you last week, although I thought it when I saw your blog, how much I like your new blog look. Simple, yet very elegant.

    Second, I don't think I ever read this poem word-for-word before. As someone who lives "on the plains," the lines: "While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day
    And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;" really spoke to me.

    Third, that photo speaks as loudly as the poem about our season of change and the metamorphosis that occurs as a result. Lovely interpretation in words and photo of this challenge.

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  14. A great photo to use for this challenge. Love the colors. I love to read Keats too.

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  15. Lovely photo and great piece for the challenge this week. The poem and your thoughts add the perfect touch.

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Thank you for your comments - I always love to hear what you think :)

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