Wednesday, January 20, 2010

"A Year's Windfalls" by Christina Rossetti

Another poem about wind! It's a rather long one, but it describes the wind of each month and I think it's lovely! :)

A Year's Windfalls
by Christina Rossetti

On the wind of January
Down flits the snow,
Travelling from the frozen North
As cold as it can blow.
Poor robin redbreast,
Look where he comes;
Let him in to feel your fire,
And toss him of your crumbs.

On the wind in February
Snowflakes float still,
Half inclined to turn to rain,
Nipping, dripping, chill.
Then the thaws swell the streams,
And swollen rivers swell the sea:—
If the winter ever ends
How pleasant it will be!

In the wind of windy March
The catkins drop down,
Curly, caterpillar-like,
Curious green and brown.
With concourse of nest-building birds
And leaf-buds by the way,
We begin to think of flowers
And life and nuts some day.

With the gusts of April
Rich fruit-tree blossoms fall,
On the hedged-in orchard-green,
From the southern wall.
Apple-trees and pear-trees
Shed petals white or pink,
Plum-trees and peach-trees;
While sharp showers sink and sink.

Little brings the May breeze
Beside pure scent of flowers,
While all things wax and nothing wanes
In lengthening daylight hours.
Across the hyacinth beds
The wind lags warm and sweet,
Across the hawthorn tops,
Across the blades of wheat.

In the wind of sunny June
Thrives the red rose crop,
Every day fresh blossoms blow
While the first leaves drop;
White rose and yellow rose
And moss-rose choice to find,
And the cottage cabbage-rose
Not one whit behind.

On the blast of scorched July
Drives the pelting hail,
From thunderous lightning-clouds, that blot
Blue heaven grown lurid-pale.
Weedy waves are tossed ashore,
Sea-things strange to sight
Gasp upon the barren shore
And fade away in light.

In the parching August wind
Corn-fields bow the head,
Sheltered in round valley depths,
On low hills outspread.
Early leaves drop loitering down
Weightless on the breeze,
First fruits of the year's decay
From the withering trees.

In brisk wind of September
The heavy-headed fruits
Shake upon their bending boughs
And drop from the shoots;
Some glow golden in the sun,
Some show green and streaked,
Some set forth a purple bloom,
Some blush rosy-cheeked.

In strong blast of October
At the equinox,
Stirred up in his hollow bed
Broad ocean rocks;
Plunge the ships on his bosom,
Leaps and plunges the foam,—
It's oh! for mothers' sons at sea,
That they were safe at home.

In slack wind of November
The fog forms and shifts;
All the world comes out again
When the fog lifts.
Loosened from their sapless twigs
Leaves drop with every gust;
Drifting, rustling, out of sight
In the damp or dust.

Last of all, December,
The year's sands nearly run,
Speeds on the shortest day,
Curtails the sun;
With its bleak raw wind
Lays the last leaves low,
Brings back the nightly frosts,
Brings back the snow.

5 comments:

  1. ah, another windy poem! :)
    love it!

    Blue heaven grown lurid-pale
    I really like that, though it confuses me.
    The first time I read the poem, I thought, oh the July blast does not sound very pleasant in general (it sounds rather depressing which was rather upsetting since my birthday is in July. However, I really do like the imagery in the July one, and the others.

    ReplyDelete
  2. Aw, don't feel bad about July. I was born in December,"With its bleak raw wind.";)

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  3. I was born in the 'slack wind' of November.

    "The fog forms and shifts;
    All the world comes out again
    When the fog lifts.
    Loosened from their sapless twigs
    Leaves drop with every gust;
    Drifting, rustling, out of sight
    In the damp or dust."

    How exquisite!

    ReplyDelete
  4. R. A (not signed in!) said...

    I should find more month poems! It's so fun to read about your birthday month! :D

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  5. Hee hee, I like mine:

    In brisk wind of September
    The heavy-headed fruits
    Shake upon their bending boughs
    And drop from the shoots;
    Some glow golden in the sun,
    Some show green and streaked,
    Some set forth a purple bloom,
    Some blush rosy-cheeked

    ReplyDelete