Tabb’s Poetry XXXIII

by John B. Tabb on Oct 09, 2013 in Featured, Poetry

Autumn Wind

It sings, and every flower and weed
Bestows a tributary seed
   Of life again to live.
I listen, but a sterile tear,
Alas! no recompense to bear!
   Is all I have to give.

Indian Summer

’Tis said, in death, upon the face
Of Age, a momentary trace
Of Infancy’s returning grace
   Forestalls decay;

And here, in Autumn’s dusky reign,
A birth of blossom seems again
To flush the woodland’s fading train
   With dreams of May.

In My Orange-Grove

Orbs of Autumnal beauty, breathed to light
         From blooms of May,
Rounded between the touch of lengthening night
         And lessening day,
Flushed with the Summer fulness that the Spring
        (Fair seer!) foretold,
The circle of three seasons compassing
         In spheres of gold.

Autumn Gold

Death in the house, and the golden-rod
   A-bloom in the field!
O blossom, how, from the lifeless clod,
When the fires are out and the ashes cold,
Doth a vein that the miners know not, yield
   Such wealth of gold?

The Twins

      Are you lost,
         Jack Frost?
            Ah, no;
   For a time to and fro
         Must I go,
   But a longer stay
   Shall I make some day
When I come with my sister,
            the snow.

John B. Tabb

For a recitation, click the play button:

[soundcloud url=”http://api.soundcloud.com/tracks/110753358″ params=”” width=” 100%” height=”166″ iframe=”true” /]

“Autumn Wind”: Later Lyrics, p. 76; Poetry, p. 51. 1902.

“Indian Summer”: Poems, p. 75; Poetry, p. 89. October 1887. Indian Summer is a warm spell when the leaves are in color.

“In My Orange-Grove”: Poems, p. 23; Poetry, p. 24. 1894.

“Autumn Gold”: Poems, p. 73; Poetry, p. 11. September 1892. Goldenrod is any of a large number of flowering plants (genus Solidago) that bloom in late Summer and Autumn, most bearing bright, golden-yellow flower heads.

“The Twins”: Poetry, p. 100. Undated. Jack Frost is the personification of crisp, cold weather.