The ‘moss’d cottage trees’ that ‘bend with apples’, again reinforce the idea of autumn being a season willing to give and produce. This is suggested by the fact that there are so many apples on the trees they are caused to bend under the weight. The adjective ‘moss’d’ hints that the trees are of an ancient nature, therefore suggesting a certain peaceful wisdom to be about them.
Autumn will ‘fill all fruit with ripeness to the core’ and will ‘swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells.’ These two phrases are both examples where the effective use of the text creates the generous, kind tranquil atmosphere. For example, there will be no half measures as ‘all’ the fruit will be ‘filled’ with ripeness. The adjective ‘all’ suggests that in the season there are no exceptions so ‘all’ will prosper. The verbs ‘swell’ and ‘plump’ within the context they are used compliment the season by emphasising its kindness.
Winter at this point seems distant as the poem states, ‘warm days will never cease’, and there are ‘later flowers for the bees.’ Keats’s reference to the warm climate adds a sense of comfort as we generally perceive a warm day to be associated with rest and peace.
Throughout the first stanza a number of pictorial images are created. The ‘moss’d cottage trees’ can easily be imagined by the reader as Keats depicts the scene so skilfully.. The image of bees collecting pollen from flowers is also created through the use of the text and Keats’s interpretation of autumn overall, becomes one peaceful, tranquil image.
Within the first stanza time moves almost un-perceptively. This slowness of movement is suggested by the long, unbroken sentences. The comparatives in the anti-penultimate line suggests the season to be fooling the bees and the reader into thinking the ‘warm days will never cease.’ The sound of the ‘s’ within ‘days’, ‘cease’ and ‘summer’ almost suggest the soft buzzing of the bees hinting again at a subtle musical quality about the poem showing that all is calm.
Overall, the musical qualities and rhythms compliment the text within the stanza. This rhythm gives it a pleasant unity but never becomes intrusive damaging the quality of the poem.
The first two stanzas are linked by the rhetorical question, ‘who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store.’ As the second stanza begins we perceive time to have moved on. The crops described in the previous verse have been collected, suggested by the reference to ‘store.’ The idea behind the second stanza is the collecting and harvesting of the fruits depicted previously. For example there is a reaper asleep, ‘half reap’d furrow.’ This again reinforces the idea of a complete peacefulness as the reaper is asleep, therefore perceived to be completely untroubled.
Keats uses personification to portray the season to have human nature about it. This is shown by phrases such as, ‘Thee sitting careless on a granary floor’ and ‘thy hair soft lifted by the winnowing wind.’ The fact the figure is ‘sitting careless’ tells us the season offers no threats and all can relax. In this stanza of the poem all worries seem to have disappeared and there is a feeling of complete contentment. The compound words such as ‘soft lifted’ and ‘half reap’d,’ show the serenity of autumn as they suggest a certain softness created by the placid nature of the text. Keats tells us there is a ‘winnowing wind.’ The alliteration of the ‘w’ suggests the sound of the wind, yet the breeze is gentle and kind, like the season, and all things are treated with care. For example the hair is ‘soft lifted’, telling us that everything is treated with delicacy and nothing and nobody will be harmed. Keats’s use of the poppy in the poem seems to be associated with opion, suggesting the ‘half reap’d furrow’ to be in a more profound state of sleep, emphasising the mellow and peaceful atmosphere.
The long vowels and quiet consonants of the stanza create a gentle, almost magical picture as the peacefulness is so extreme. For example, the soft sound of the ‘s’ in ‘spares’ and ‘swath’ supports this idea of the text suggesting the sounds of the season.
Keats makes reference to the ‘twined flowers’, suggesting all associates of the season to work in complete harmony with each other. This idea is emphasised by the adjective twined’ as is suggests even the flowers to have a unity with each other, reinforcing the kind nature of the season autumn.
Everything, through this stanza appears to be particularly static. For example, there is a reaper asleep, a figure ‘sitting careless’ and a gleaner ‘steadies her laden.’
Throughout the stanza there is no sense of urgency, emphasised by the reference to a ‘patient look.’ The penultimate line possesses a certain musical quality, created through the style of the text. The number of times ‘s’ is used within the line can be perceived as a suggestion of the sound of the apple juice flowing. The final line reinforces the idea that time is moving almost un-perceptively, emphasised by the repetition of ‘hours.’ The adjective ‘oozings’, hints at a never ending peacefulness, suggested by the long vowel.
The third stanza is set in the day and opens with the double rhetorical question, ‘Where are the songs of spring? Aye, where are they?’ The music of autumn is indicated by Keats’s reference to the ‘songs of spring.’ The long vowels within the second rhetorical question gives a hint of nostalgia and melancholy, and this is a key note in the beginning of the stanza. The day is ‘soft dying’ introducing a sense of sadness to the poem as reference is made to death giving the sense of ending.. The ‘rosy hue’ suggests a reddening sky – a typically English scene.
This stanza introduces the first suggestion of sadness, though the gentle tranquil nature of the poem remains constant. Previously, within the first and second stanza the sense of happy contentment was prominent. The third stanza does acknowledge this but time has moved on and the general feel of the poem changes.
A series of examples depicting the musical qualities of autumn are given. There is a ‘wailful choir’ of ‘small knats’, suggesting even the knats to be crying and grieving for the passing of the season. ‘Full grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn’, telling us that the lambs, like the season are moving on as they are now ‘full grown.’ The fact they ‘loud bleat’ hints that, like that knats, the sheep are mourning for autumn. This presents a typically English picture as a field of bleating lambs is usually closely associated with the countryside of England.
Keats tells us that ‘hedge crickets sing’, implying the crickets to be a representation of the suggested music within the poem. This indicates all associates of autumn are melancholy as even the crickets voices are ‘treble soft.’ ‘Swallows twitter in the skies’, hinting that they are saying farewell to autumn in the form of ‘twittering.’ Winter is becoming increasingly nearer, as indicated by the appearance of a robin. A robin is generally perceived as a sign or symbol of winter and keats uses this to suggest the changing season. The sense of time moving on is implied by the comparatives given. There are now ‘stubble plains’ indicating that the previous ‘fruitfulness’ of the season has gone and the plants have been cut to a ‘stubble.’ This harsh adjective shows the comparison of the previously beautiful flowers with the now empty fields. The reference to the ‘plains’ suggests a vast deserted area, echoing the underlying feeling of emptiness and resolution the stanza is creating. Nothing throughout is vigorous, the wind is always ‘light’, indicating that although the season is ending the sense of kindness and generosity, although not as prominent is still consistent.
Caste’s poem ends depicting the symbols of winter. The emigrating birds, previously associated with the summer and ‘the songs of spring’, are now leaving and moving on, as is the season of autumn. The season is slowly drawing to a close and a sense of ending and finality is created in the absence of the familiar comforts of autumn.
The style in which ‘To Autumn’ is written is extremely subtle yet creates a highly effective evocation of the season. The poem is almost romantic in its slow movement through time as Keats creates a sensitive account of emotions and experiences.
All three stanzas posses a defined musical quality, created by the rhythm of the verses and use of the text. Although prominent, this rhythm never becomes intrusive, allowing the poem to become almost surreal. The intensity of the poem creates an almost magical atmosphere, as the tranquillity and peacefulness of the season becomes almost daunting.
The theme of the poem is extremely simple and this simplicity is maintained throughout. Overall, I feel Keats’s poem is a highly successful is creating and expressing the true meanings and ideas behind the season of Autumn.
