Stay yet, my friends, a moment stay — Stay till the good old year, So long companion of our way, Shakes hands, and leaves us here.
—William Cullen BryantMirth, full of joy as summer bees, Sits there, its pleasures to impart, And children, ‘tween their parent’s knees, Sing scraps of carols o’er by heart.
—John ClareAll is black shadow, but the lucid line Marked by the light surf on the level sand, Or where afar, the ship-lights faintly shine Like wandering fairy fires.
—Charlotte SmithBut it is winter with your love; I scatter crumbs upon the sill, And close the window, — and the birds May take or leave them, as they will.
—Edna St. Vincent MillayBut it is winter with your love; I scatter crumbs upon the sill, And close the window, — and the birds May take or leave them, as they will.
—Edna St. Vincent MillayA thousand Christmas trees I didn’t know I had! Worth three cents more to give away than sell . . . Too bad I couldn’t lay one in a letter. I can’t help wishing I could send you one.
—Robert FrostWith incense sweet our thanks ascend; Before thy works our powers pall; Though we should strive years without end, We could not thank thee for them all.
—Paul Laurence DunbarMy last walk in the trees has come. At dawn I must return to the trapped fields, To the obedient earth. The trees shall be reaching all the winter.
—Robert BlyI’ve been wondering about what you mean, Standing in the spray of shadows before an ocean Abandoned for winter, silent as a barque of blond hair.
—Jim CarrollSo dull and dark are the November days. The lazy mist high up the evening curled, And now the morn quite hides in smoke and haze; The place we occupy seems all the world.
—John ClareOn the last of October When dusk is fallen Children join hands And circle round me Singing ghost songs And love to the harvest moon.
—Carl SandburgI stood in the disenchanted field Amid the stubble and the stones, Amazed, while a small worm lisped to me The song of my marrow-bones.
—Stanley KunitzThe maple wears a gayer scarf, The field a scarlet gown. Lest I should be old-fashioned, I’ll put a trinket on.
—Emily DickinsonThoughts meander like a restless wind inside a letter box They tumble blindly as they make their way across the universe.
—John LennonThe promises have gone, Gone, gone, and they were here just now There is the sky where they laid their fish. Soon it will be evening.
—W. S. MerwinCape Cod kids ain’t got no sleds They slide down the hills on codfish heads Cape Cod girls ain’t got no frills They tie their hair with codfish gills.
—Baby GrampsAlthough it is a cold evening, Down by one of the fishhouses An old man sits netting, His net, In the gloaming almost invisible.
—Elizabeth BishopA boy and his dad on a fishing-trip — There is a glorious fellowship! Father and son and the open sky And the white clouds lazily drifting by.
—Edgar A. GuestBy all these lovely tokens September days are here, With summer’s best of weather And autumn’s best of cheer.
—Helen Hunt JacksonThe wind blows Through the doors of my heart. It scatters my sheet music That climbs like waves from the piano, free of the keys.
—Deborah Digges