Author: Madison Julius Cawein

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The songs Love sang to us are dead:
Yet shall he sing to us again,
When the dull days are wrapped in lead,
And the red woodland drips with rain.

The lily of our love is gone,
That touched our spring with golden scent;
Now in the garden low upon
The wind-stripped way its stalk is bent.

Our rose of dreams is passed away,
That lit our summer with sweet fire;
The storm beats bare each thorny spray,
And its dead leaves are trod in mire.

The songs Love sang to us are dead;
Yet shall he sing to us again,
When the dull days are wrapped in lead,
And the red woodland drips with rain.

The marigold of memory
Shall fill our autumn then with glow;
Haply its bitterness will be
Sweeter than love of long ago.

The cypress of forgetfulness
Shall haunt our winter with its hue;
The apathy to us not less
Dear than the dreams our summer knew.

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Type of Poem: Lyric Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: This poem is a poignant exploration of love, loss, and the passage of time, characterized by a melancholic tone. The speaker employs the metaphor of the changing seasons to mirror the lifecycle of a romantic relationship, moving from the hopeful blossoming of "spring" to the inevitable desolation of "winter." The recurrent theme of temporality is emphasized by the transformation of flora, such as the "lily of our love" and the "rose of dreams," which first appear vibrant but eventually wilt and decay, symbolizing the transience of love.

The structure of the poem is cyclical, beginning and ending with the same stanza, creating a sense of inevitability and suggesting that love's song, though currently silent, will be sung again. This structure adds a hint of optimism amidst the otherwise sorrowful narrative. The poet's use of vivid imagery and emotive language, such as "the dull days are wrapped in lead," and "the red woodland drips with rain," effectively evokes a sense of melancholy and longing. The final two stanzas introduce the "marigold of memory" and the "cypress of forgetfulness," further reinforcing the theme of memory and loss. The contrast between these two symbols suggests a struggle between clinging to the past and the relief of letting go. Despite its somber subject matter, the poem concludes on a note of acceptance, suggesting that apathy and forgetfulness can be as cherished as the romantic dreams of the past.