Three by Tabb VIII

Poems by Father John Banister Tabb.

A Rubric

The aster puts its purple on
   When flowers begin to fall
To suit the solemn antiphon
   Of Autumn's ritual;

And deigns, unwearied, to stand
   In robes pontifical
Till Indian Summer leaves the land,
   And Winter spreads the pall.

(Oct. 1895)

Autumn Song

My life is but a leaf upon the tree—
A growth upon the stem that feedeth all.
A touch of frost—and suddenly I fall,
To follow where my sister-blossoms be.

The selfsame sun, the shadow, and the rain
That brought the budding verdure to the bough,
Shall the strip the fading foliage as now
And leave the limb in nakedness again.

My life is but a leaf upon the tree;
The winds of birth and death upon it blow;
But whence it came and whither it shall go,
Is mystery of mysteries to me.

(July 1892)

Autumn-Glow

If this the preface be of death
   In crimson, green, and gold,
What wondrous art illumineth
   The story still untold?

(Nov. 1900)

The Poetry of Father Tabb (1928) pp. 13, 242, 368.
ed. Francis A. Litz, Ph.D.

See also Three by Tabb VII: Poems by Father John Banister Tabb.

Lane Core Jr. CIW P — Sun. 09/26/04 06:32:54 PM
Categorized as Sunday Poetry Series.