Poems (McDonald)/An Autumn Thought

For works with similar titles, see An Autumn Thought.
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AN AUTUMN THOUGHT. 
Methinks I never saw the autumn woods So beautiful as now. They have put on Their rainbow coloured garments hastily, As from his icy palace in the North, With a stern eye upon the shrinking flowers, And hoarsely heralding the coming cold, The Frost King hurries; and like courtiers, soon Donned each their robes of state, at his approach. ​How brightly the October sunlight gleams Over the changing forest. See! tall shafts Of opal, or of amber, rise around, Like pillars of a genii's banquet hall; With a fair dome of sapphire over them, Exceeding beautiful!
            For me they wear, These frost-touched forest leaves of varied hue, A beauty which the summer yieldeth not, Despite its wealth of flowers. I love thee, June!With thy soft breath, and deeply azure skies, And purple twilight hours; but more I love A noon-tide ramble in the Autumn woods, When through the half-stript branches streams the sun, And 'neath our feet the dry leaves rustle; When answering echo mocks the sportsman's gun, And swift across our path the squirrel springs, Or nimble-looted hare. The Autumn gales Have a reviving influence, and awake A thought of earlier hours, whcn there seemed No shadow in the sunshine, and the streams ​Were ever musical—and far away From half conned lessons, with a chosen few, We sought the falling nuts, and joyfully Broke like a bubbling fountain's silvery tone, The merry laugh from young and careless hearts; And life seemed all as full of happiness, As did that bright day in the Autumn woods.
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