40
POEMS.
Whence cometh, whence cometh, this stranger gay?
Speak, oh! ye birds, ere he vanish away!
O mortal! 'tis Autumn, who blithely hath come
To gladden the fields with his harvest home.
Speak, oh! ye birds, ere he vanish away!
O mortal! 'tis Autumn, who blithely hath come
To gladden the fields with his harvest home.
Who cometh, who cometh, in mantle grey,
While the blossoms and leaves at his breath pass away?
The holly is twined in his thin, whitened hair;
E'en, as he passes, the forests are hare.
Icicles hang from the garment he wears;
Ivy is bound on the staff that he bears;
Fast from his presence the startled birds fly,
And the chilling wind sweeps through the dark cloudy sky.
Whence cometh, whence cometh, this stranger dread?
Say, oh! ye leaves from the forest trees shed!
O mortal! 'tis Winter: we fly from his blast.
Fare ye well, fare ye well! 'till his sojourn be past.
H. A.
While the blossoms and leaves at his breath pass away?
The holly is twined in his thin, whitened hair;
E'en, as he passes, the forests are hare.
Icicles hang from the garment he wears;
Ivy is bound on the staff that he bears;
Fast from his presence the startled birds fly,
And the chilling wind sweeps through the dark cloudy sky.
Whence cometh, whence cometh, this stranger dread?
Say, oh! ye leaves from the forest trees shed!
O mortal! 'tis Winter: we fly from his blast.
Fare ye well, fare ye well! 'till his sojourn be past.
H. A.
