October by Robert Frost
O hushed October morning mild,
Thy leaves have ripened to the fall;
To-morrow's wind, if it be wild,
Should waste them all.
The crows above the forest call;
To-morrow they may form and go.
O hushed October morning mild,
Begin the hours of this day slow,
Make the day seem to us less brief.
Hearts not averse to being beguiled,
Beguile us in the way you know;
Release one leaf at break of day;
At noon release another leaf;
One from our trees, one far away;
Retard the sun with gentle mist;
Enchant the land with amethyst.
Slow, slow!
For the grapes' sake, if they were all,
Whose leaves already are burnt with frost,
Whose clustered fruit must else be lost—
For the grapes' sake along the wall.
ANALYSIS
This poem seems to be an appeal to the month of October to accommodate those who want seasonal change to arrive a little more slowly. In several places in the poem, Frost implores October personified to ask for a kind indulgence. Even if change cannot be slowed, he suggests, perhaps it can be made to seem like it has been slowed. Frost asks permission to be allowed more time in denial. “Give us change one leaf a day,” is the message. And if two leaves a day, make one far away where we cannot see it and be disturbed. “Slow. Slow!” the exclamation point is for emphasis. Have compassion on the grapes at least he pleads, like Moses for the people of Israel in Sinai.
It is interesting that the rhyming scheme is ordered in the first four lines and last four lines. Frost rarely does anything by way of sound pattern that hasn’t been thought through but I am no expert on why there is order at the beginning and end of this poem (ABAB and then BEEB at the end) but if I had to guess it is because this poem is about the transition from one stable season (summer) to another (winter) with all the chaos of Autumn between and that what Frost is pleading for is not simply about weather but about all sort of change that life brings in its various seasons.
When you think about this poem as an explanation for how humans generally prefer change to take place in their lives (aging, divorce, a child moving out, a new job, a move to another place, etc.) it becomes more interesting. Here is how Frost would like change to arrive.
1. He would like order to proceed to order and does not like order to chaos with no order at the end.
2. He would be open to a little delusion if the hard facts of change involve more suddenness than he is prepared for. He is “not adverse to being beguiled.” In other words, he would like to be permitted to enjoy his state of denial a little longer.)
3. Make the change a slow and steady one. One leaf at a time works fine with him.
4. Ration the negative impacts of change equitably so no single sort of person has to deal with more than their "fair share."
5. Consider those who will be most disturbed by rapid change and set the pace according to their needs.
I am not sure what forces of change are at work in your life or whether they are listening to you as you react to them but Perhaps this poem can give you some comfort that you are not alone.
Question for Comment: What is changing in your life right now and how are you feeling about the pace of it?
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