The Bronte sisters were connected to nature like few other English writers, excepting perhaps the Romantic poets like Wordsworth and Coleridge who made the Lake District their home. The moors sweeping away from Haworth Parsonage fascinate tourists to this day, and they were equally loved by one Bronte sister in particular: Emily Bronte. In today’s new post we’re going to look at one nature-inspired poem by Emily that is particularly pertinent for this time of year.
It is said that Emily Bronte could walk twenty miles a day over the moors, an especially notable feat given the clothing and unsuitable boots she would have had to wear. They were Emily’s special place, and she called them soft names in many a mused rhyme (to borrow from another romantic poet, John Keats). Nevertheless, one of her finest nature poems, the one we shall look at today, is not about the moors at all – it is about an autumnal scene amidst trees and foliage.
I think that every season brings its own delights, but few seasons can bring as much joy as Autumn. This season of mists and mellow fruitfulness (there’s Keats again) delights our senses, whether it’s the golden foliage on trees, the clear dark night skies, or the crunch of leaves under our feet. It’s a sensory delight, even if we have to pull on our cardigans and knitwear to enjoy it.
It is clear that Emily Bronte loved Autumn too, and she pays fine homage to it in her beautifully evocative Autumnal poem below:
“Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away;
Lengthen night and shorten day;
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree.
I shall smile when wreaths of snow
Blossom where the rose should grow;
I shall sing when night’s decay
Ushers in a drearier day.”
The days are indeed shortening, and the nights lengthening, but I hope you can join me next week for another new Bronte blog post.