The Four Seasons: Poems
For the poet, even the most minute details of the natural world are starting points for flights of the imagination, and the pages of this collection celebrating the four seasons are brimming with an extraordinary range of observation and imagery. \ Here are poets past and present, from Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Wordsworth to Whitman, Dickinson, and Thoreau, from Keats, Blake, and Hopkins to Elizabeth Bishop, Ted Hughes, Amy Clampitt, Mary Oliver, and W. S. Merwin. Here are poems that...
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For the poet, even the most minute details of the natural world are starting points for flights of the imagination, and the pages of this collection celebrating the four seasons are brimming with an extraordinary range of observation and imagery. Here are poets past and present, from Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Wordsworth to Whitman, Dickinson, and Thoreau, from Keats, Blake, and Hopkins to Elizabeth Bishop, Ted Hughes, Amy Clampitt, Mary Oliver, and W. S. Merwin. Here are poems that speak of the seasons as measures of earthly time or as states of mind or as the physical expressions of the ineffable. From Robert Frost’s tribute to the evanescence of spring in “Nothing Gold Can Stay” to Langston Hughes’s moody “Summer Night” in Harlem, from the “stopped woods” in Marie Ponsot’s “End of October” to the chilling “mind of winter” in Wallace Stevens’s “The Snow Man,” the poems in this volume engage vividly with the seasons and, through them, with the ways in which we understand and engage the world outside ourselves.
FROM THE INTRODUCTION\ The seasons are both segments of time and states of mind. Though ourword ‘‘season’’ derives from the Latin for ‘‘sowing’’ and refers thereby only to spring, every culture has had terms – whether winter and summer, or rainy and dry – for the sequence of great climatic changes by which the world transforms itself every year. But it’s more than what is going on outside. Our hearts have seasons as well. Mostly, we call them moods, and we lay our plans by their accustomed recurrences. We recall the crucial moments in our lives by the weather that still swirls around them in memory. Weddings and family reunions, getaways and homecomings are most often scheduled by the season. Yes, we have urgent appointments and traditional holidays, our deadlines and habits. But our bodies and their tides of desire seem to move more slowly, and are governed by the larger, more dramatic and decisive movements of the sun itself – the arrival of light and the opulence of warmth, then their slow fading and cold withdrawal. Aren’t, in fact, the seasons like the stages of a love affair?\ This is where the poets come in. They are enthusiasts and brooders. Love and death are their stock-in-trade. But first of all, they are observers. A strong imagination begins with a keen eye. The poet is interested in both the detail and the scheme, in both the streak on the tulip and the nature of beauty which the flower represents. This is why the seasons have, down the centuries, had a special appeal for poets. (It’s interesting though obvious to note that modern poets from England and especially from New England, where weather patterns are more extreme, are more likely to write about the seasons than poets from more steadily temperate parts.) This book is a virtual anthology of small details, because the seasons invite us to catalogue the terms of our love for the world. It takes hours of observation to get the tiniest half-line right that describes, say, the precise shade of a bird’s wing in flight. And such details are then the starting-point of metaphor. We can’t see anything exactly as it is unless we first see it as something else.
SpringFirst Sight of Spring John Clare Clare, John 23The Year's Awakening Thomas Hardy Hardy, Thomas 24"A Light exists in Spring" Emily Dickinson Dickinson, Emily 25Spring Mary Oliver Oliver, Mary 26"It was a lover and his lass" William Shakespeare Shakespeare, William 28Nothing Gold Can Stay Robert Frost Frost, Robert 29March Richard Wilbur Wilbur, Richard 30Spring Gerard Manley Hopkins Hopkins, Gerard Manley 31Black March Stevie Smith Smith, Stevie 32Spring Pools Robert Frost Frost, Robert 34"Loveliest of trees" A. E. Housman Housman, A. E. 35March Morning Unlike Others Ted Hughes Hughes, Ted 36Putting in the Seed Robert Frost Frost, Robert 37Spring William Shakespeare Shakespeare, William 38The Lent Lily A. E. Housman Housman, A. E. 39Spring Song II Jean Garrigue Garrigue, Jean 40Another April James Merrill Merrill, James 41Resurrections A. R. Ammons Ammons, A. R. 42A Cold Spring Elizabeth Bishop Bishop, Elizabeth 43Lines Written in Early Spring William Wordsworth Wordsworth, William 45My Father Paints the Summer Richard Wilbur Wilbur, Richard 106Falling Asleep in a Garden David Wagoner Wagoner, David 108Dog-Days Amy Lowell Lowell, Amy 109August Moon Robert Penn Warren Warren, Robert Penn 110Blackberry-Picking Seamus Heaney Heaney, Seamus 113Late August on the Lido John Hollander Hollander, John 114Hyla Brook Robert Frost Frost, Robert 115Summer is Ended Christina Rossetti Rossetti, Christina 116"As imperceptibly as Grief" Emily Dickinson Dickinson, Emily 117"When summer's end is nighing" A. E. Housman Housman, A. E. 118AutumnTo Autumn John Keats Keats, John 123"Summer begins to have thelook" Emily Dickinson Dickinson, Emily 125"Fall, leaves, fall" Emily Bronte Bronte, Emily 126Unharvested Robert Frost Frost, Robert 127Autumn Walter De La Mare Mare, Walter De La 128Autumn John Clare Clare, John 129Autumn Amy Lowell Lowell, Amy 130Autumn Chant Edna St. Vincent Millay Millay, Edna St. Vincent 131Ode to the West Wind Percy Bysshe Shelley Shelley, Percy Bysshe 132The Seven Sorrows Ted Hughes Hughes, Ted 136An Autumn Sunset Edith Wharton Wharton, Edith 138Autumn Alexander Pushkin Pushkin, Alexander 140Simple Autumnal Louise Bogan Bogan, Louise 145The Flux of Autumn Jean Garrigue Garrigue, Jean 146"Turn me to my yellow leaves" William Stanley Braithwaite Braithwaite, William Stanley 150The Latter Rain Jones Very Very, Jones 151To Autumn William Blake Blake, William 152Hoar-Frost Amy Lowell Lowell, Amy 153Written in Autumn Mary Tighe Tighe, Mary 154The Fall of the Leaf Henry David Thoreau Thoreau, Henry David 155Autumn Refrain Wallace Stevens Stevens, Wallace 163The Dying Garden Howard Nemerov Nemerov, Howard 164An Autumnal Anthony Hecht Hecht, Anthony 165Aftermath Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth 167The Love for October W. S. Merwin Merwin, W. S. 168October Dawn Ted Hughes Hughes, Ted 169October Helen Hunt Jackson Jackson, Helen Hunt 171Last Week in October Thomas Hardy Hardy, Thomas 172End of October Marie Ponsot Ponsot, Marie 173Heart of Autumn Robert Penn Warren Warren, Robert Penn 175No! Thomas Hood Hood, Thomas 177November William Dean Howells Howells, William Dean 178November Phyllis McGinley McGinley, Phyllis 179November Night Adelaide Crapsey Crapsey, Adelaide 181Late November A. R. Ammons Ammons, A. R. 182During Wind and Rain Thomas Hardy Hardy, Thomas 183Crow's Nests Richard Wilbur Wilbur, Richard 185Spring and Fall Gerard Manley Hopkins Hopkins, Gerard Manley 186An Old-Fashioned Song John Hollander Hollander, John 187"That time of year thou mayst in me behold" William Shakespeare Shakespeare, William 188[1(a] E. E. Cummings Cummings, E. E. 189WinterWhiter William Shakespeare Shakespeare, William 193Winter Thomas Sackville Sackville, Thomas 194"It sifts from Leaden Sieves" Emily Dickinson Dickinson, Emily 196"Pray to what earth does this sweet cold belong" Henry David Thoreau Thoreau, Henry David 197Winter Anne Bradstreet Bradstreet, Anne 198"The night is freezing fast" A. E. Housman Housman, A. E. 200Winter Walk John Clare Clare, John 201The First Snow-Fail James Russell Lowell Lowell, James Russell 202From a Notebook James Merrill Merrill, James 204The Snow-Storm Ralph Waldo Emerson Emerson, Ralph Waldo 205The Paperweight Gjertrud Schnackenberg Schnackenberg, Gjertrud 207From Snow-Bound John Greenleaf Whittier Whittier, John Greenleaf 208The Snow Donald Hall Hall, Donald 211Lines Written on a Window at the Leasowes at a Time of Very Deep Snow William Shenstone Shenstone, William 213Silver Filigree Elinor Wylie Wylie, Elinor 214To a Leaf Falling in Winter W. S. Merwin Merwin, W. S. 215Runes, Blurs, Sap Rising Amy Clampitt Clampitt, Amy 217Crows in Winter Anthony Hecht Hecht, Anthony 218Snow-Flakes Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth 219Afterflakes Robert Frost Frost, Robert 220The Snow Man Wallace Stevens Stevens, Wallace 221"Now winter nights enlarge" Thomas Campion Campion, Thomas 222A Winter Twilight Angelina Weld Grimke Grimke, Angelina Weld 223Winter Fear Kay Ryan Ryan, Kay 224Sestina d'Inverno Anthony Hecht Hecht, Anthony 225Winter Scene A. R. Amnions Amnions, A. R. 227"There's a certain Slant of light" Emily Dickinson Dickinson, Emily 228Year's End Richard Wilbur Wilbur, Richard 229Snow and Snow Ted Hughes Hughes, Ted 231"The night is darkening round me" Emily Bronte Bronte, Emily 233Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Robert Frost Frost, Robert 234California Winter Karl Shapiro Shapiro, Karl 235Winter William Carlos Williams Williams, William Carlos 237"The Sky is low - the Clouds are mean" Emily Dickinson Dickinson, Emily 238Orchard Trees, January Richard Wilbur Wilbur, Richard 239February Afternoon Edward Thomas Thomas, Edward 240February 13, 1975 James Schuyler Schuyler, James 241
