A Song For October

Fruitful October! so fair and calm
Singing of God and his charity,
Every note of thy joyous psalm
Chords of my heart give back to thee.
Joy for the riches thy bounty yields
Over the breadth of our smiling fields!
Out of the months that have gone before,
Gathering tribute from this thy store,
E’en from the torpid December moon,
From the vernal rains and the heats of June,
All that was good thou hast drawn and brought.
Nothing a loss;
E’en from the dross,

Alchemist marvellous, thou hast wrought
Misted gold for thy noon’s delights,
Silver of frost for thy twinkling nights.
Blest be thy blessing, all thy beauty now
Glows as a diadem on thy brow,
So, let me sing to thee,
So, let me bring to thee
Praise of the queen of my soul, for she,
Bountiful bringer of joys to me,
Wearing thy glory, is kin to thee.
How hath she wrought with the passing years?
All of their pleasures and pains and tears,
All their rose hopes and their pallid fears,
Through her sweet being have issued forth
Fused into treasure of priceless worth.
Look on the fruits of her alchemy,
Lisping their music around her knee.
Muse on the splendor of her sweet face,
Motherly wisdom and maiden grace.
Gold of your noon time is in her hair;
Aye, and your silver of frost is there.
Tell her, October, O, who so fair?
Not even thou
Weareth a brow
Fuller of beauty or freer of care.
O for the guerdon of quiet bliss,
For the yet warm heart and the cool sweet kiss
Of her perfect loving; for this, for this,
Fruitful October, so fair and calm,
Singing of God and His charity,
Every note of thy joyous psalm
Chords of my heart give back to thee!