Autumn Sorrow by Madison Cawein
The poem explores themes of melancholy and the passage of time, particularly focusing on the transition from summer to autumn. The speaker expresses a deep sense of sorrow as autumn arrives, bringing with it a sense of loss and decay. The imagery evokes a landscape filled with purple hills and forested areas, where the beauty of nature is tinged with sadness. The arrival of autumn is depicted as a premature event, suggesting that the speaker feels unprepared for the emotional weight it carries. The "bleak, melancholy flame" symbolizes the destructive nature of the season, which extinguishes the vibrancy of life and beauty. The fogs and mists create a somber atmosphere, obscuring the brightness of the morning and dimming the last remnants of summer's flowers. As the poem progresses, the speaker reflects on the haunting presence of sorrow, personified as a figure sitting with "lonely eyes" and an "ancient lyre." This figure represents the enduring nature of grief and longing, suggesting that the emotions tied to lost desires and past joys linger even as the seasons change. The imagery of "cadaverous fires" in the sunset further emphasizes the theme of death and the inevitable decline that accompanies autumn. Overall, the work captures the essence of autumn as a time of reflection, loss, and the bittersweet beauty of nature's cycles, intertwining personal sorrow with the changing landscape. The speaker's lamentation serves as a poignant reminder of the transient nature of life and the emotional resonance that accompanies the shifting seasons.
By Madison Cawein · First published 1902 · Genre: Lyric Poetry, Nature Poetry, Romanticism · 166 words
First lines
Ah me! too soon the autumn comes Among these purple-plaintive hills! Too soon among the forest gums Premonitory flame she spills, Bleak, melancholy flame that kills.
Her white fogs veil the morn, that rims With wet the moonflower's elfin moons; And, like exhausted starlight, dims The last slim lily-disk; and swoons With scents of hazy afternoons.
Her gray mists haunt the sunset skies, And build the west's cadaverous fires, Where Sorrow sits with lonely eyes, And hands that wake an ancient lyre, Beside the ghost of dead Desire.
What this Textopian page supports
Autumn Sorrow is listed on Textopian as a poem by Madison Cawein, dated 1902 CE.
This source record anchors work identity, reading entry points, and catalog context for checking claims about the work.
- Work type: Poem
- Author: Madison Cawein
- Date: 1902 CE
- Language: English
- Genres: Lyric Poetry, Nature Poetry, Romanticism, Symbolism, Elegy
- Length: 166 words
- Structure: 1 section, 3 paragraphs
- Reading fit: Standard (8th-9th Grade)
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Similar titles
- A Dirge by Madison Cawein
- Low Tide by Edna St Vincent Millay
- After The Frost by James Whitcomb Riley
- Requiescat by Matthew Arnold
- To Sorrow by Madison Cawein
- Last Days by Madison Cawein
Genres
- Lyric Poetry — The work is characterized by its emotional expression and musical quality, typical of lyric poetry.
- Nature Poetry — The poem vividly describes autumn and its effects on the landscape, emphasizing the connection between nature and human emotion.
- Romanticism — The themes of melancholy, beauty, and the passage of time align with Romantic ideals.
- Symbolism — The use of imagery and metaphor to convey deeper meanings reflects Symbolist characteristics.
Tags
Poetry · Nature · Seasonal · Mourning · Loss · Grief · Sorrow · Autumn · Fading · Decline · Melancholy · Longing