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Friday, September 02, 2011

"Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness"

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Nights start to cool, tomatoes like the world grow heavy. A mid-size calf looks at you and splays to his mother. She lows protectively, and in that moment looking into her eyes, you see that together you are pilgrims under an isinglass sun, though she is wary of a traveler such as you.

Title from John Keats' ode "To Autumn"
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33 comments:

Elizabeth said...

Love the romantic misty look.
One of my favorite poems of all time.

George said...

Beautiful and reassuring, Ruth, and the peaceful ight in the photo is wonderful. Have a good weekend.

Ruth said...

Thanks for stopping in, Elizabeth. It's such a sweet season, and Keats' poem embodies it.

Ruth said...

Thank you, George. The various views of fields on my morning drive to work are serene and beautiful in the mist in autumn. You have a good weekend too.

Judy said...

I love this picture!

Brendan said...

Thick and luscious as a musk-rose. Have you read Robert Bly's prose poems, "The Body is Made of Camphor and Gopherwood"? They have the same prosaic melody as this. Here's to the blush of such Keatsian fruitfulness, full moon, high tide, language mature and so sweet and heavy on the bough. - Brendan

annell4 said...

Yes, I love it! Thanks so much Ruth! It is rich as pure black dirt!

Louise Gallagher said...

Your words are a perfect reflection of the image.

Your words are a perfect refleciton of you.!

Grace and mystical bauty.


Lovely!

Arti said...

Oh is it Autumn already? I love that photo, something I can see quite often here, but not in that light. My pocket camera can't capture such a time of day... dusk I suppose. And two lines from the poem I love too: "Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they?
Think not of them, thou hast thy music too,— " You photo is that tune... "Misty". ;)

On another note (yes, pun intended), Miss Potter is a lovely movie. I'm sure you'll enjoy it, esp. its artistic renderings. You may be interested to read my review of it... have posted a link in my reply to your comment. Yes, I'm sure you'll love the little surprises in the movie.

Have a good weekend, Ruth.

hedgewitch said...

Beautiful, Ruth. I often find myself staring across the fence at my bovine fellow travelers, and never blame them for running. Maybe someday Autumn will arrive here; til then, you and Keats have cooled me in her multi-colored breeze.

Grandmother Mary said...

It's all about tomatoes in great bounty in my corner of the world with the plants just laden with fruit, so I like the image of "grown heavy like the world".

ds said...

"pilgrims under an isinglass sun"--lovely. Such a serene and beautiful photo and words. I want to go out and read Mr. Keats beneath a tree... but there's all this laundry & packing & "stuff." :/

You have calmed me, and I thank you.

* said...

"Together we are pilgrims under an isinglass sun." Mooo. :)

who said...

I never knew the word isinglass existed, nor what it was until I had to look it up reading Melville.

This farm picture reminds me of Oregon. Near Glide where a blue eyed horse that reached in through the window of a moving truck and bit me and then laughed.

amy@ Souldipper said...

I feel the child's bitter sweet sense of school starting tomorrow. I smell the coolness of the air and hear the lowing of the cow. I decided "it" meant is-in-glass and chuckled when I looked "it" up.

Ruth said...

Thanks, Judy!

Ruth said...

Thanks, Brendan. No, I have not read Bly's prose poems, I haven't read him in years for some reason, but the title of the volume alone is melodic, and now my interest is piqued. Thanks for the comparison, my friend, and for such kind words. I imagine autumn in Florida is a much anticipated season of sweet languishing after the dreadful heat of summer.

Ruth said...

Thanks, Annell! I love these mornings of softness.

Ruth said...

Ah, thanks, Louise, what nice things you say. Misty mornings just stir up so much inspiration for me.

Ruth said...

Arti, I smiled at your question, because as I was thinking about this piece I kept saying to myself, but it isn't autumn yet, the equinox is still 3 weeks away . . . This photo was taken on my drive to work in the morning. The farm fields for the first 20 minutes of my drive soothe and nurture.

Thanks again for the rec for Miss Potter, which I have added to my netflix queue now. Maybe since the crazy busy summer is nearly over, we'll actually sit down and watch movies.

You have a great weekend, Arti.

erin said...

such a grounding moment. i am somewhat in need of such a grounding moment. perhaps i'll sit for a while, stare, chew.

xo
erin

cathyswatercolors said...

Hi Ruth my dear, so it's true we are heading into fall. I love fall,but i am certain i will love it even more when i retire. Ah yes, back to work for me and i would think your hubby. Back to paperwork stacked to the ceiling with children fall through the cracks. What a mixed up world, someday we may get things straight just not during my watch. Peace and on an up note happy hot labor dayoxoxoxocb

Ruth said...

Thanks, Hedge. Even we have some heat back again, though thunderstorms are supposed to cool us down today. I hate to think that you could stay hot much longer, after the summer you've had.

Ruth said...

Mary, I was imagining cooks in Italy as I made three batches of spaghetti sauce this weekend with all the Romas Don grew, and there are as many on the vine ready for another round. Thanks for reading.

Ruth said...

ds, thank you for your response. I know you have a busy weekend ahead of you. Be safe, and don't overtire yourself.

Ruth said...

T, and a bellowing mooo to you too. :-)

Ruth said...

Dusti, isinglass is one of the best words ever. I always loved it, and then when I first read Elizabeth Bishop's poem "The Fish" and her lines I was 'hooked' . . .

I looked into his eyes
which were far larger than mine
but shallower, and yellowed,
the irises backed and packed
with tarnished tinfoil
seen through the lenses
of old scratched isinglass....


I remember your blue eyed horse story. I took a picture of one once, strange and lovely!

Thanks, Dusti.

Ruth said...

Amy, is-in-glass . . . I wonder now, is there a connection? Strange how it is gathered from fish.

Early September is more like New Year's for me, feeling like it begins the year more than Jan. 1.

Ruth said...

erin, I trust that you will find what you need to ground you, friend. Glad you found a bit of it here.

Ruth said...

Hi, Cathy! Yes, this time of year is like New Year's, not with the celebration so much as with beginnings. I have heard that the state may be buckling down on those on welfare, and I pray that the kids who need it will keep getting it. Yes, what are we coming to?

Please stay well and strong, and painterly. And cool, I think thunderstorms are on the way!

xoxoxox

sonia a. mascaro said...

Just lovely misty photo, so bucolic!

Have a pleasant Sunday!

Ginnie Hart said...

I totally relate to what you said to Amy about September feeling like the beginning of the year even more so than January 1. I as much mentioned that to someone the other day. It begins my favorite time of the year...the fall colors, cooler air, football, pumpkin carving, the wonderful holidays right around the corner. Mooooo.

Julie B. [Holland] said...

Hello Ruth, just taking the time to go over some blogs this morning and loved this photo. I havent posted much as of late, was back to America for a month or so when Lisa had her baby , Carley healthy and happy. I was back here for a week and my Mom passed away so went back for another month or so. Getting back into the swing of things but life seems different. Not in a bad way just different.Im hoping your daugther is doing well with her pregnancy, such a joyful time. The sunlight is changing this time of year and seems to want to say get ready to snuggle in for the cooler months. Altho our summer (which I wanst here for much of it) was wet and cool. We had the most rain I think they said since maybe 1902 or something. Hope you and your family are all doing fine. All my best, Julie in Holland.....