Author: Madison Julius Cawein

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I.

    There was moonlight in the garden and the chirr and chirp of crickets;
    There was scent of pink and peony and deep syringa thickets,
    When adown the pathway whitely, where the firefly glimmered brightly,
    She came stepping, oh, so lightly,
    To the old gate made of pickets.

II.

    There were dew and musk and murmur and a voice that hummed odd snatches
    Of a song while there she hurried, through the moonlight's silvery patches,
    To the rose-grown gate, above her and her softly-singing lover,
    With its blossom-tangled cover
    And its weight and wooden latches.

III.

    Whom she met there, whom she kissed there, mid the moonlight and the roses,
    With his arms who there enclosed her, as a tiger-lily encloses
    Some white moth that frailly settles on its gold and crimson petals,
    Where the garden runs to nettles,
    No one knows now or supposes.

IV.

    Years have passed since that last meeting; loves have come and loves departed:
    Still the garden blooms unchanging; there is nothing broken-hearted
    In its beauty, where the hours lounge with sun and moon and showers,
    Mid the perfume and the flowers
    As in days when those two parted.

V.

    Yet the garden and the flowers and the cheerily chirring crickets,
    And the moonlight and the fragrance, and the wind that waves the thickets,
    They remember what was spoken, and the rose that was a token,
    And the gentle heart there broken
    By the old gate made of pickets.

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Type of Poem: Narrative Poem

Date Written:

Date Published:

Language: English

Keywords: Public Domain

Source: Public Domain Collection

Publisher:

Rights/Permissions: Public Domain

Comments/Notes: This evocative poem explores the themes of love, time, and memory, utilizing the garden as a potent symbol for both the passage of time and the enduring nature of emotion. The structure of the poem, divided into five stanzas, mirrors the progression of a narrative, moving from a specific moment in the past to the impact of that moment on the present. The poet's use of vivid, sensual imagery, such as "the scent of pink and peony" or "the chirr and chirp of crickets," invites readers into a multisensory experience of this garden, making it a space filled with both physical and emotional resonance.

The tone of the poem is at once nostalgic and melancholic, reflecting on a love that, while no longer present, continues to echo in the natural surroundings. The garden, with its unchanging beauty, serves as a poignant reminder of this past love, with elements such as the "old gate made of pickets" and the "rose that was a token" acting as physical embodiments of these past emotions. The use of end rhyme throughout the poem lends a musical quality to the verse, reinforcing the sense of rhythm and flow in the narrative. The final stanza, with its repetition of elements from the first stanza, underscores the enduring nature of the memory. This cyclical structure suggests that, despite the passage of time, the emotional landscape of the garden remains unchanged, a testament to the lasting impact of love and loss.