Author: Madison Julius Cawein

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    Summer may come, in sun-blonde splendor,
    To reap the harvest that Springtime sows;
    And Fall lead in her old defender,
    Winter, all huddled up in snows:
    Ever a-south the love-wind blows
    Into my heart, like a vane asway
    From face to face of the girls it knows--
    But who is the fairest it's hard to say.

    If Carrie smile or Maud look tender,
    Straight in my bosom the gladness glows;
    But scarce at their side am I all surrender
    When Gertrude sings where the garden grows:
    And my heart is a bloom, like the red rose shows
    For her hand to gather and toss away,
    Or wear on her breast, as her fancy goes--
    But who is the fairest it's hard to say.

    Let Laura pass, as a sapling slender,
    Her cheek a berry, her mouth a rose,--
    Or Blanche or Helen,--to each I render
    The worship due to the charms she shows:
    But Mary's a poem when these are prose;
    Here at her feet my life I lay;
    All of devotion to her it owes--
    But who is the fairest it's hard to say.

    How can my heart of my hand dispose?
    When Ruth and Clara, and Kate and May,
    In form and feature no flaw disclose--
    But who is the fairest it's hard to say.

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Type of Poem: Ballad

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: The poem encapsulates a delightful exploration of the fleetingness and fickleness of affection, set against the cyclic backdrop of seasons. The poet employs vivid seasonal metaphors, imbuing the work with a sense of continuity and change. The narrative structure, wherein each stanza introduces a new object of affection, is reflective of the transient nature of the speaker's feelings, and, to a certain extent, human nature.

The tone of the poem is playful yet contemplative, as the speaker struggles to determine the "fairest" among his interests. The repeated refrain, "But who is the fairest it's hard to say," underscores this uncertainty while adding a rhythmic consistency. The poet's use of personification and rich imagery, particularly in describing each woman (e.g., "Her cheek a berry, her mouth a rose"), makes each character unique, yet the speaker's fluctuating affection blurs these distinct lines. This highlights the theme of indecision and the subjectivity of beauty and affection. The poet's use of the rhetorical question in the last stanza amplifies the poem's overarching theme, leaving readers with an open-ended, thought-provoking conclusion.