The Autumn - Elizabeth Barrett Browning (reposted courtesy of the public domain)

(digital artwork by C. Sexton)

Fall has always been my favorite time of year, symbolizing both transition and renewal. From the rustling of marigold, ruby, and honey-colored leaves in the wind, to the scent of cinnamon-buttered apples and pumpkin in the air, autumn feels like a season to cherish the past, appreciate the present, and look forward to the future. In The Autumn, 19th-century poet Elizabeth Barrett Browning seems to share a similar sentiment, using the season as a metaphor for life's cycles.

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Stanza 1:

Go, sit upon the lofty hill,
And turn your eyes around,
Where waving woods and waters wild
Do hymn an autumn sound.
The summer sun is faint on them —
The summer flowers depart —
Sit still — as all transform'd to stone,
Except your musing heart.

The poem invites the reader to elevate themselves perhaps physically and mentally "upon the lofty hill" and absorb the autumn landscape. Browning uses rich imagery like "waving woods and waters wild" to evoke the sensory experience of fall. The fading summer sun and the departure of flowers also signal a change in seasons. The poet encourages stillness, asking the reader to be like stone, unchanging in body but reflective in heart and mind. 

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Stanza 2:

How there you sat in summer-time,
May yet be in your mind;
And how you heard the green woods sing
Beneath the freshening wind.
Though the same wind now blows around,
You would its blast recall;
For every breath that stirs the trees,
Doth cause a leaf to fall.

In this stanza, Browning contrasts the present autumn scene with memories of summer. The same wind that once brought vitality "freshening wind" now delivers a "blast," emphasizing the wind’s power while juxtaposing it with the gentleness of a falling leaf. Browning uses the wind to highlight a duality, symbolizing both life and transformation. 

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Stanza 3:

Oh! like that wind, is all the mirth
That flesh and dust impart:
We cannot bear its visitings,
When change is on the heart.
Gay words and jests may make us smile,
When Sorrow is asleep;
But other things must make us smile,
When Sorrow bids us weep!

The metaphor of the wind as a symbol of change continues in this passage. Browning portrays the wind as a welcomed presence, bringing joy when "Sorrow is asleep." However, when that joy is carried away by the same force that brought it (the wind), Browning uses this to emphasize the resilience of human beings; suggesting that when happiness is superseded by sorrow, we instinctively seek other ways to create and sustain our peace 

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Stanza 4:

The dearest hands that clasp our hands, —
Their presence may be o'er;
The dearest voice that meets our ear,
That tone may come no more!
Youth fades; and then, the joys of youth,
Which once refresh'd our mind,
Shall come — as, on those sighing woods,
The chilling autumn wind.

In this stanza, Browning is more explicit in connecting change to the harsh reality of death. Phrases like "the dearest hands" and "the dearest voice" evoke the experience of losing a loved one, or more broadly, the inevitable fading of things like youth. These losses are presented as natural, unavoidable parts of life’s progression.

It's also notable that Browning revisits the image of the woods. In the first stanza, the woods are described as "waving woods and waters wild" that "Do hymn an autumn sound," suggesting a more lively, dynamic portrayal of nature. In this stanza, however, the woods are "sighing," reflecting a quieter, more somber tone that mirrors the complexities and changes of human life.

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Stanza 5:

Hear not the wind — view not the woods;
Look out o'er vale and hill-
In spring, the sky encircled them —
The sky is round them still.
Come autumn's scathe — come winter's cold —
Come change — and human fate!
Whatever prospect Heaven doth bound,
Can ne'er be desolate.

In the final stanza, Browning offers a message of hope. She advises us not to dwell on the signs of change and loss (the wind and woods), but to consider the "vale and hill, " or the hills and valleys of life, and to consider that even amid constant change the power that covers it all "the sky is round them still" remains consistent and no matter what life entails, the purpose of it never returns desolate or void.  

In the final stanza, Browning delivers a message of hope. She encourages us not to focus on the immediate signs of change and loss, symbolized by the wind and woods, but to look beyond, to the "vale and hill," which can represent the ups and downs of life and that despite these changes, the author reminds us that the sky, which encircled the land in spring, still remains constant. This symbolizes a greater, unchanging force that watches over us all and that no matter what challenges life brings, the purpose of it never returns desolate or void. 

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I really enjoyed reading this work. Through Browning's use of the seasons, I thought she did an exquisite job of capturing the bittersweet realities of life. Her poem encouraged the reader to not only see everything as part of a greater, purposeful pattern but also to remind us to appreciate every moment of life while realizing that change is inevitable. The way she presents these themes makes her work as relevant today as it was in her time.

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