A Calendar Of Sonnets - September

By Helen Hunt Jackson

Sonnet
    O golden month! How high thy gold is heaped!     The yellow birch-leaves shine like bright coins strung     On wands; the chestnut's yellow pennons tongue     To every wind its harvest challenge. Steeped     In yellow, still lie fields where wheat was reaped;     And yellow still the corn sheaves, stacked among     The yellow gourds, which from the earth have wrung     Her utmost gold. To highest boughs have leaped     The purple grape,--last thing to ripen, late     By very reason of its precious cost.     O Heart, remember, vintages are lost     If grapes do not for freezing night-dews wait.     Think, while thou sunnest thyself in Joy's estate,     Mayhap thou canst not ripen without frost!

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Poem Details

Language: English
Keywords: Public Domain
Source: Public Domain Collection
Rights/Permissions: Public Domain
Analysis & Notes:
The poem presents a vivid meditation on the fleeting beauty of autumn, using gold and ripening as metaphors for life's transient pleasures and necessary hardships. Structured as a Shakespearean sonnet, it blends iambic pentameter with a rich tapestry of imagery, from the bright coins of birch leaves to the purple grape that ripens late. The speaker's voice shifts from awe at nature's abundance to a somber warning, urging the heart to embrace both joy and the inevitable frost of adversity. The volta arrives in the final lines, pivoting from observation to exhortation, with the repetition of yellow and gold reinforcing the theme of richness tempered by loss. The poem's closing lines subvert the warmth of its imagery, suggesting that true growth requires enduring hardship. The sonnet's precision in form mirrors the poem's argument: just as grapes must wait for frost, so too must joy be tempered by suffering to achieve fullness.

Understanding the Sonnet

The sonnet is one of the most enduring and celebrated forms of poetry, known for its strict structure and profound themes. With a history spanning centuries, sonnets have been used to explore love, beauty, politics, and mortality, all within the confines of just 14 lines.

Sonnets are characterized by their precise form and rhyme scheme, which vary depending on the type of sonnet. Here’s a closer look:

  • Shakespearean (English) Sonnet: Composed of three quatrains followed by a final couplet, with a rhyme scheme of ABABCDCDEFEFGG. This form often builds a complex argument or narrative, culminating in a powerful closing statement.
  • Petrarchan (Italian) Sonnet: Divided into an octave (eight lines) and a sestet (six lines), with a typical rhyme scheme of ABBAABBA for the octave, followed by various patterns in the sestet such as CDECDE or CDCDCD. The octave usually presents a problem, with the sestet providing a resolution.
  • Meter: Sonnets are traditionally written in iambic pentameter, which gives the poem a rhythmic and melodic quality that enhances its emotional impact.

The sonnet’s enduring appeal lies in its ability to condense complex emotions and ideas into a small but potent package, making it a favorite form for poets seeking to explore profound themes with precision and elegance.