Author: Madison Julius Cawein

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    Nevermore at doorways that are barken
    Shall the madcap wind knock and the moonlight;
    Nor the circle which thou once didst darken,
    Shine with footsteps of the neighbouring moonlight,
    Visitors for whom thou oft didst hearken.

    Nevermore, gallooned with cloudy laces,
    Shall the morning, like a fair freebooter,
    Make thy leaves his richest treasure-places;
    Nor the sunset, like a royal suitor,
    Clothe thy limbs with his imperial graces.

    And no more, between the savage wonder
    Of the sunset and the moon's up-coming,
    Shall the storm, with boisterous hoof-beats, under
    Thy dark roof dance, Faun-like, to the humming
    Of the Pan-pipes of the rain and thunder.

    Oft the Satyr-spirit, beauty-drunken,
    Of the Spring called; and the music measure
    Of thy sap made answer; and thy sunken
    Veins grew vehement with youth, whose pressure
    Swelled thy gnarly muscles, winter-shrunken.

    And the germs, deep down in darkness rooted,
    Bubbled green from all thy million oilets,
    Where the spirits, rain-and-sunbeam-suited,
    Of the April made their whispering toilets,
    Or within thy stately shadow footed.

    Oft the hours of blonde Summer tinkled
    At the windows of thy twigs, and found thee
    Bird-blithe; or, with shapely bodies, twinkled
    Lissom feet of naked flowers around thee,
    Where thy mats of moss lay sunbeam-sprinkled.

    And the Autumn with his gypsy-coated
    Troop of days beneath thy branches rested,
    Swarthy-faced and dark of eye; and throated
    Songs of roaming; or with red hand tested
    Every nut-bur that above him floated.

    Then the Winter, barren-browed, but rich in
    Shaggy followers of frost and freezing,
    Made the floor of thy broad boughs his kitchen,
    Trapper-like, to camp in; grimly easing
    Limbs snow-furred and moccasined with lichen.

    Now, alas! no more do these invest thee
    With the dignity of whilom gladness!
    They unto whose hearts thou once confessed thee
    Of thy dreams now know thee not! and sadness
    Sits beside thee where, forgot, dost rest thee.

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Type of Poem: Reflective Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: This piece is a vivid, richly detailed exploration of change, time, and the natural world. The poet employs strong, evocative imagery and metaphor, imbuing the poem with a strong sense of narrative and progression. The first-person perspective allows the reader to experience the world from the perspective of an element in nature, likely a tree, observing the passing of the seasons and the changes they bring.

The poem's tone oscillates between nostalgia and melancholy, reflecting on the beauty and vitality of the past, and the desolation of the present. The structure of the poem, with its consistent rhyme scheme and rhythm, reinforces this sense of perpetual change and cyclical nature, suggesting the inevitable progression of time. The personification of the seasons, viewed as visitors or companions, lends an emotional depth to the poem, rendering the tree's solitude and abandonment all the more poignant. The poet's use of archaic language and classical references, such as satyrs, fauns, and Pan-pipes, infuses the work with a timeless, mythic quality, further enhancing the theme of the unending cycle of life and decay.

While the poem dwells on the loss and decay, ultimately the piece is a meditation on the beauty and resilience of nature, as it endures through the inevitable cycle of life, death, and rebirth. The language, while ornate and complex, is accessible and engaging, drawing in readers with its vivid descriptions and emotional depth.