Autumn Chant

by Edna St. Vincent Millay — a poem card from Justes Mots

Millay's lyrical meditation on autumn observes the rose's transformation from blossom to bitter berry, celebrating the beauty found in decline and decay. The repeated phrase 'the rose remembers / The dust from which it came' emphasizes mortality and cyclical return while asserting that beauty persists through change. The poem appeals to those contemplating aging, loss, and the aesthetic dimensions of natural cycles.

Now the autumn shudders
In the rose's root.
Far and wide the ladders
Lean among the fruit.
Now the autumn clambers
Up the trellised frame,
And the rose remembers
The dust from which it came.…

Themes: love · new-baby · wedding · friendship