To Autumn by John Keats

Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness!
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eaves run;
To bend with apples the mossed cottage-trees,
And fill all fruit with ripeness to the core;
To swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells
With a sweet kernel; to set budding more,
And still more, later flowers for the bees,
Until they think warm days will never cease,
For Summer has o'erbrimmed their clammy cells.

Who hath not seen thee oft amid thy store?
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Or on a half-reaped furrow sound asleep,
Drowsed with the fume of poppies, while thy hook
Spares the next swath and all its twined flowers;
And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep
Steady thy laden head across a brook;
Or by a cider-press, with patient look,
Thou watchest the last oozings, hours by hours.

Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too, -
While barred clouds bloom the soft-dying day
And touch the stubble-plains with rosy hue;
Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn
Among the river sallows, borne aloft
Or sinking as the light wind lives or dies;
And full-grown lambs loud bleat from hilly bourn;
Hedge-crickets sing, and now with treble soft
The redbreast whistles from a garden-croft;
And gathering swallows twitter in the skies.

An analysis of To Autumn by John Keats

“To Autumn” by John Keats is a striking depiction of one man’s love of the season autumn.  The poet reflects on the beauty through the use of imagery and word choice. Throughout the poem the writer reveals a personal theme of his common appreciation for simple things and also the cycle of nature. The poem is broken up into three stanzas, each dealing with a different aspect of the season. Stanza one stresses the abundance of nature and that there is a certain surfeit. The penultimate stanza describes the leisurely feel of autumn and the final section deals with the comforting sounds which can be heard. 

Word choice is successfully used by the writer to convey the attractive features of autumn. Striking images of the fruit and overflowing trees give the season a dreamy quality which the writer adores. This is used alongside the description of the harvest which shows the writer eulogizes.

“Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness…fill all fruit with ripeness to the core; to swell the gourd, and plump the hazel shells”

The first line sets the scene perfectly as the poet uses sibilance to give autumn an authentic lushness. It is effectively used as it establishes with the reader exactly how Keats envisions the season. “mists” adds to the dreamy aura the writer wishes to create and this comforts the reader as it is a pleasant image. “fruitfulness” and “ripeness” initiate the sense of the surfeit and that autumn is bursting with fruit. The use of “swell” and “plump” emphasize the grandness of the whole period as all of nature is in its prime.

Relaxing words are used in the second stanza to enlighten the reader into the restful attitude of autumn. Moving images are also created which gives the season a romantic feel.

“Thee sitting careless on a granary floor…thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind…half-reap’d furrow sound asleep… thou watchest the last oozings hours by hours”

The sight of someone sitting carelessly on a “granary floor” is a very calming image that symbolizes the whole laidback feel to autumn itself. This is then followed by the dreamlike image of the wind flowing through hair which is effective as it is also a soothing vision. The use of alliteration “winnowing wind” reinforces this perfectly. “half reap’d sound asleep” underlines the casual attitude as the harvest is only half done and the use of “sound asleep” highlights the easygoing approach to life at this time of year. The final phrase deals with the slow process of making cider. “oozing” exemplifies this as it is a gradual operation which symbolizes autumn’s lethargic angle on life. “hours and hours” finishes this section off supremely as it conveys a very long time which is what autumn is genuinely all about.

The final stanza dealing with the sounds of autumn is full of descriptive words on the sounds made by animals in autumn. They range from happy tuneful sounds to the “mourn” of gnats.

“And full-grown lambs loud bleat…Hedge-crickets sing…The red-breast whistles…And gathering swallows twitter”

The “loud bleat” of the lambs is comforting as it suggests they are happy and having fun. The fact that they are lambs also adds to this pleasurable image as they represent new life and possess cheerful personalities. “The hedge-crickets sing” is enjoyable as it connotes the idea of a tune. The high pitched noise a cricket makes is never charming but the writer makes it seem pleasant. The “whistle” from the red-breast and the twittering of the swallows are background noises which would be coming from above; boost the joyful atmosphere to help create a whole round pleasing experience for anyone in the surrounding area.
   
Keats cleverly uses imagery to demonstrate his admiration of his favorite time of year. With the use of powerful images and striking visions his adoration of autumn is effectively conveyed.

“And sometimes like a gleaner thou dost keep steady thy laden head across a brook”

The simile “like a gleaner” personifies a tree as an elderly woman who would be weighed down by tools and fruit. They are similar in that the tree will be burdened with an excess of fruit causing it to bend over the burn. This allowed me to visualize the impact of the surfeit as it is straining trees and adds to the full feel of nature at this time of year.

The imagery used in the final stanza further describes the sounds made by nature.

“Then in a wailful choir the small gnats mourn”

The fact that the gnats are in a “choir” exemplifies the amount of them which creates another image of nature being at its fullest. They are mourning as it is coming to the end of autumn which symbolizes the writer’s sadness for leaving the season for winter. “mourn” also implies death which would be evident at the end of autumn as all the leaves and fruit fall off the trees.

In conclusion, Keats uses cunning phrases and words to create his depiction of autumn. The reader is made fully aware of his love for the season and every aspect of it. It is evident that the poet enjoyed writing the poem which in turn aids the readers’ appreciation of the text.