Poetry Explorer- Classic Contemporary Poetry, THE DEATH OF AUTUMN, by EDNA ST. VINCENT MILLAY


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Classic and Contemporary Poetry

THE DEATH OF AUTUMN, by                 Poet Analysis     Poet's Biography
First Line: When reeds are dead and a straw to thatch the marshes
Last Line: Oh, autumn! Autumn! -- what is the spring to me?
Alternate Author Name(s): Boyd, Nancy; Boissevain, Eugen, Mrs.
Subject(s): Autumn; Seasons; Fall


WHEN reeds are dead and a straw to thatch the marshes,
And feathered pampas-grass rides into the wind
Like aged warriors westward, tragic, thinned
Of half their tribe, and over the flattened rushes,
Stripped of its secret, open, stark and bleak,
Blackens afar the half-forgotten creek, --
Then leans on me the weight of the year, and crushes
My heart. I know that Beauty must ail and die,
And will be born again, -- but ah, to see
Beauty stiffened, staring up at the sky!
Oh, Autumn! Autumn! -- What is the Spring to me?






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