Autumn Used To Tell Poem by Glen Kappy
Autumn Used To Tell
Autumn used to tell a sad tale—
for behind its beauty
the whisper of life fading—
after red and gold splendor
naked trees in cutting winds.
And civilization used to tell a sad tale—
the primitive beauty of lands
ravaged by so-called "progress"—
vigorous peoples declining
into bodily weakness and moral decay.
And my life itself used to tell a sad tale—
for beneath its pleasures
a melancholy tune—
with distractions gone
a sense of me in the world alone.
This takes me back
but this once was true—
they used to tell a sad tale.
The structure of this poem perfectly holds the content. I am very impressed with the pattern repeated in the first three lines of each stanza. You take three very different t-h-i-n-g-s and link them by a pattern that can be best called archetypal, that is, the SAD TALE each of them embodies, and the last line takes a bit further in time for the consequences. I think existentialism is the right word for the philosophy behind your insight: there is Heidegger's notion that we are thrust into our history and have to find the meaning for it ourselves. I like this poem very much - it opens a window on a complex meaning of a transparent conundrum.
Daniel, your affirming comments touch me as this is a poem I struggled with for years- mainly in how to end it- and as I trust your knowledgeable and perceptive reading. After years of lying fallow it came to me last week to take it up again. And correctly, as usual, you see the philosophical subtexts. For me meeting God, changed from nihilism to theism, was only a little less than a life-saving one. This poem is an attempt to represent that change. Another brief one of mine, At the Threshold (which you may have read already?) , is an attempt to represent where I was at right before. -Glen
I can't remember your original lines. But don't know exactly what you are trying to say in the line ' this takes me back' takes you back to what? Or is it that you are over those sad tales and only have memories of it left. And the autumn is just a reminder of it.
savita, first thanks for bothering to look at the poem again. i appreciate it. yes, the line takes me back is meant to convey just what you understood. some background: i began this poem years ago, but i didn't know how to end it. so it sat. so the change in the last stanza is partly a reflection on that. -glen
Good poem Glen. Autumn is a time of reflection. Sad tales are right there beside happy ones. These too need expressions, you did a beautiful job. Thanks for sharing.
thanks for reading the poem and for your comment, savita. i made changes to the last stanza; if you'd be interested in reading them, i'd be interested in your input. -glen
This poem has not been translated into any other language yet.
I would like to translate this poem
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4/27/2024 1:51:38 AM # 1.0.0.1119
Autumn signifies the transient nature of life.Nothing is permanent It is sad when we see life and its beauty fading.It is apparent in the nature as a whole and each life individually.You connect the individual with the whole.A wonderful write.Let me quote a few lines- - Autumn used to tell a sad tale— for behind its beauty the whisper of life fading— after red and gold splendor naked trees in cutting winds. - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - And my life itself used to tell a sad tale— for beneath its pleasures a melancholy undertone— distractions gone a sense of me in the world alone.
Hi, Bharati! First, thank you as always for reading and commenting on my poems. This is one I started years ago- two decades or more ago- but I didn't know how to finish it. Your perceptive comments make me see a connection between this poem and one by Gerard Manley Hopkins, a favorite poet of mine. His is called Spring and Fall to a Young Child. -Glen