Reconsidering Autumn

Spring & Fall
to a young child

Margaret, áre you gríeving
Over Goldengrove unleaving?
Leáves, líke the things of man, you
With your fresh thoughts care for, can you?
Áh! ás the heart grows older
It will come to such sights colder
By and by, nor spare a sigh
Though worlds of wanwood leafmeal lie;
And yet you wíll weep and know why.
Now no matter, child, the name:
Sórrow’s spríngs áre the same.
Nor mouth had, no nor mind, expressed
What heart heard of, ghost guessed:
It ís the blight man was born for,
It is Margaret you mourn for.

This is one of my favorite poems, by one of my favorite poets, Gerard Manley Hopkins. It is, however, a rather gloomy look at the nature of autumn. One doesn't have to dissect it to pieces (which I did in at least 3 poetry classes) to get the message: autumn is melancholy, leaf-fall symbolizes death and this notion of death and mortality is so obvious that even a kid can figure it out and be depressed by it.

I love this poem and there's some truth to it but I would like to argue that autumn is as much about life, if not more, than it is about death.

The changing colors of the leaves are not a sign that the tree is dying, only that it is storing sugars for the winter rest. The natural world is humming with activity as creatures ready their winter homes, store up food for winter or take off on cross country flights to warmer climes. This is still a productive time in the garden as apples, pears, pumpkins and squash, cabbages and brussels sprouts come into their season. Plants are going dormant but autumn is also a great planting season, rivaled only by spring. This is the time to put in bulbs and plant garlic. The color brown begins to accent the garden but to use the phrase "dying back" is to mis-speak. Dormancy is not death. Dormancy is a time to rest and replenish, pulling oneself together, botanically speaking. If one were tempted to get anthropomorphic, the plant is celebrating the season just past and resting up for the spring to come. Kinda like a corporate retreat, only without the lame "trust building" exercises.

I was poking around a Celtic calendar this morning. The ancient Celts started the new year in autumn. Our time of September/October they called Cantlos, or Song-time. October/November was Samonios, Seed Fall. I think those are beautiful designations for this season...song-time and seed-fall, celebrating, gathering and planting.

I like to think of time as circular, not linear (that's also the Celt in me). Each season, each phase of life is it's own beginning. Autumn is an invigorating time: school and extracurriculars begin for The Child, signalling the beginning of my most productive time. My birthday and anniversary signal the beginning of a new year of life and of marriage. Autumn is the beginning of Big Food, roasts, daubes, baked things. White wine slows to a trickle as red wine flows.

Today is also Rosh Hashanah, the Jewish New Year. Tonight we will dip apple slice in honey, as will our Jewish neighbors, to commemorate the sweetness of life. Sound the shofar. Here's to autumnal beginnings, the magic of leaf-fall and the mystery of life in death.