Edward Thomas (1878-1917)
October
1The green elm with the one great bough of gold
2Lets leaves into the grass slip, one by one, --
3The short hill grass, the mushrooms small milk-white,
4Harebell and scabious and tormentil,
5That blackberry and gorse, in dew and sun,
6Bow down to; and the wind travels too light
7To shake the fallen birch leaves from the fern;
8The gossamers wander at their own will.
9At heavier steps than birds' the squirrels scold.
10The rich scene has grown fresh again and new
11As Spring and to the touch is not more cool
12Than it is warm to the gaze; and now I might
13As happy be as earth is beautiful,
14Were I some other or with earth could turn
15In alternation of violet and rose,
16Harebell and snowdrop, at their season due,
17And gorse that has no time not to be gay.
18But if this be not happiness, -- who knows?
19Some day I shall think this a happy day,
20And this mood by the name of melancholy
21Shall no more blackened and obscured be.
Notes
4] Harebell: wood hycacinth, an herb with blue flowers.
scabious: a kind of fleabane, scabiosa.
tormentil: potentilla with yellow flowers.
5] gorse: furze, heavy weeds.
Online text copyright © 2009, Ian Lancashire (the Department of English) and the University of Toronto.
Published by the Web Development Group, Information Technology Services, University of Toronto Libraries.
Original text: Edward Thomas, Collected Poems, with a Foreword by Walter de la Mare (London: Selwyn and Blount, 1920): 64. PR 6039 H55A17 1920 Robarts Library.
First publication date:
1917
Publication date note: "Edward Eastaway," Poems (London: Selwyn & Blount, 1917)
RPO poem editor: Ian Lancashire
RP edition: RPO 1999.
Recent editing: 2:2002/3/6
Composition date:
15
October
1915
-
16
October
1915
Composition date note: (R. George Thomas, p. 246)
Rhyme: abcd bced afgc hijk flml nn
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