2 quotations linked to To Autumn by or associated with John Keats, with source notes, explanations and related topics.
Seasonal beauty, ripeness, time, change, nature, mortality and attention to what the present season contains.
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“Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness”
Keats begins by finding abundance and beauty in the atmosphere of autumn, treating seasonal maturity as worthy of attention in its own right.
Source note: “To Autumn,” in Keats: Poems Published in 1820; Project Gutenberg #23684. The phrase opens a poem whose imagery follows ripening, harvest and the sounds of the season.
“Think not of them, thou hast thy music too”
Instead of measuring autumn only against spring, the poem redirects attention to the distinct music of the season that is actually present.
Source note: “To Autumn,” final stanza, in Keats: Poems Published in 1820; Project Gutenberg #23684. The line follows the question “Where are the songs of Spring?” and answers by valuing autumn’s own sounds.