I’ve been enjoying a few days’ off at the moment. My parents are cruising in the Greek Isles (lucky them!) which means I become the day time dog walker of you know who. I am happy to go wherever Boris takes me. He is in charge after all. And with the beautiful October sunshine in full swing, I am happy to follow his lead, stopping along the way to capture a few scenes. One of my favourite quotes describing this time of year is by William Cullen Bryant, an American poet. He described autumn as ‘the year’s last, loveliest smile‘…a perfect description, don’t you think?
Like a lot of you, I love autumn and I feel I take some of my best photographs at this time of year. The light, the leaves, the long shadows, the colours. No wonder so many writers and poets have been inspired to capture in words the beauty, the joy and the melancholy too of autumn. I also love the wistfulness of Emily Bronte’s ‘Fall, leaves, fall’… (I’ve included a verse at the end of this post). And then there is the beautifully evocative ‘Now is the Time for the Burning of the Leaves‘ by Laurence Binyon. You can practically smell the smoke and hear the fire crackle when you read the first verse.
Inspired by autumn
Like many of you too, I’m inspired by nature and by those who are themselves inspired to write so beautifully about it. Up until I started this little blog of mine, I’d never quite appreciated this connection before – how nature inspires us in so many ways . And since I can’t put things quite so eloquently myself , I’d thought I’d share a few photographs instead. I hope these capture some of the season’s spectacle, it’s golden illuminations, before the autumn leaves disappear.
Some scenes of the year’s last loveliest smile
A poem for Autumn
I’ll leave you with a few words from Emily Bronte…
Fall, leaves, fall; die, flowers, away
Lengthen night and shorten day
Every leaf speaks bliss to me
Fluttering from the autumn tree
Taken from ‘The Seasons The Nation’s Most Treasured Nature Poems’ which is available here
Do you have a favourite nature poem? If so, feel free to share in the comments below.
Thank you for stopping by,
Paula
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Other seasonal posts from Typewriter Girl to enjoy:-
Emily Bronte is my favorite, too. The fall evokes the beauty of change for me. Such gorgeous pictures. Boris looks like he is enjoying his stroll. 😊
Oh thank you Lisa…yes Boris loves a walk..so long as it ends in biscuits 😊
I love ‘Poem in October’ by Dylan Thomas. It perfectly captures the beauty and changability of the season and how an autumn walk can turn from summery sun to wind and rain. I’ve not read the Emily Bronte before, it’s a great poem.
Oh thanks for the tip. I will check that out. And thanks for taking the time to comment 😊
I do love Emily Bronte, too. I’d say my favourite nature poems are by Gerard Manley Hopkins. They’re like beautiful music and colours rolled into one! Enjoy your autumn strolls with Boris. He complements the autumnal shades a treat.
Yes Boris’s pedigree name is Pots of Gold..so he blends in well 😊
Our old Basset, French, not the Fred Basset kind, was a similar colour; blended into the autumn landscape beautifully.
Your photos are beautiful and capture the essence of the season perfectly. I think my favorite might be “To Autumn” by John Keats. 🙂
Oh thank you for your kind words. I will have to check that out…I seem to be going through a poetry phase 😊
Gorgeous photos, you’ve really captured how wonderful the light is at this time of year, especially when dappled through the leaves. Some lovely choices of poetry too. X
Thank you 😊😊
Gorgeous photos Paula. Hello to Boris too 🙂
Thank you. Will do 😊
Lovely Autumnal pictures. I will have to check out some of the Autumn poems you mentioned and those in the comments. I do like Emily Bronte’s Fall Leaves Fall , that you quoted. Glad Boris is enjoying the season too. X
Thank you…we are lucky to have had such good weather so far 😊
Beautiful: I love to see sunlight filtering through the trees. One of my favourite poems is about dog walking; it’s not really autumnal but it’s evocative anyway. It’s a bit long to paste here but it’s Deep Lane – Evening of the First Fireflies by Mark Doty, about his dog Ned. It’s very life-affirming, somehow.
Just googled it in my tea break at work. Lovely. I can see why you like it 😊