A Song of Autumn

Adam Lindsay Gordon 1833 – 1870



‘WHERE shall we go for our garlands glad  
 At the falling of the year,  
When the burnt-up banks are yellow and sad,  
 When the boughs are yellow and sere?  
Where are the old ones that once we had,          
 And when are the new ones near?  
What shall we do for our garlands glad  
 At the falling of the year?’  
‘Child! can I tell where the garlands go?  
 Can I say where the lost leaves veer          
On the brown-burnt banks, when the wild winds blow,  
 When they drift through the dead-wood drear?  
Girl! when the garlands of next year glow,  
 You may gather again, my dear—  
But I go where the last year’s lost leaves go          
 At the falling of the year.’

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Submitted on May 13, 2011

Modified on March 05, 2023

37 sec read
71

Quick analysis:

Scheme aBababaBcbcbcbcB
Closest metre Iambic tetrameter
Characters 682
Words 125
Stanzas 1
Stanza Lengths 16

Adam Lindsay Gordon

Adam Lindsay Gordon was an Australian poet, jockey and politician. more…

All Adam Lindsay Gordon poems | Adam Lindsay Gordon Books

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1 Comment
  • autumn_l
    So much feeling very impressive
    LikeReply1 year ago

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"A Song of Autumn" Poetry.com. STANDS4 LLC, 2024. Web. 29 Mar. 2024. <https://www.poetry.com/poem/138/a-song-of-autumn>.

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