Wednesday 29 September 2010

Autumnal Thoughts in a poem by Ted Hughes...to share with you.

Sunflowers at Brockhole

SUNFLOWERS IN THE GARDENS AT BROCKHOLE WINDERMERE

The Seven Sorrows
by Ted Hughes


The first sorrow of autumn
Is the slow goodbye
Of the garden who stands so long in the evening-
A brown poppy head,
The stalk of a lily,
And still cannot go.

The second sorrow
Is the empty feet
Of a pheasant who hangs from a hook with his brothers.
The woodland of gold
Is folded in feathers
With its head in a bag.

And the third sorrow
Is the slow goodbye
Of the sun who has gathered the birds and who gathers
The minutes of evening,
The golden and holy
Ground of the picture.

The fourth sorrow
Is the pond gone black
Ruined and sunken the city of water-
The beetle's palace,
The catacombs
Of the dragonfly.

And the fifth sorrow
Is the slow goodbye
Of the woodland that quietly breaks up its camp.
One day it's gone.
It has only left litter-
Firewood, tentpoles.

And the sixth sorrow
Is the fox's sorrow
The joy of the huntsman, the joy of the hounds,
The hooves that pound
Till earth closes her ear
To the fox's prayer.

And the seventh sorrow
Is the slow goodbye
Of the face with its wrinkles that looks through the window
As the year packs up
Like a tatty fairground
That came for the children.


I miss the sunshine.......it's raining today...again!

God bless..
Jeanie xx

6 comments:

Marie Rayner said...

I don't know about you Jeanie, but I've had it with the rain!! Enough already! Beautiful poem and it sure makes one think. There is something very sad about autumn isn't there...especially if it doesn't stop raining! xxoo

Sybil said...

Thats a lovely Ted Hughes poem Jeanie. Thanks for sharing.
Thank you for card also Sarahs. Sarah was addmitted to hospital yesterday afternoon. I saw her today she does not look good. She was on oxegen and having a nebuliser every 4 hours. It is so so sad to see her lying here looking so lost...
Love sybil xxx

Julie said...

What a lovely poem and a lovely photo.

Julie said...

What a lovely poem and a lovely photo, I hope the rain stops for you soon.

Gerry said...

A very lovely poem. Thanks for posting. I don't often read a Ted Hughes poem. That take real appreciation.

Lori said...

That's a great Fall poem. Thank you for sharing it!