Josiah Conder (1789-1855). Sonnets. II. Autumn. 2. "Now that the flowers have faded." Alfred H. Miles, ed. 1907. The Sacred Poets of the Nineteenth Century

Alfred H. Miles, ed. The Sacred Poets of the Nineteenth Century. 1907.

Sonnets.
II. Autumn.
2. “Now that the flowers have faded”

By Josiah Conder (1789–1855)


From “Autumn in Four Sonnets” NOW that the flowers have faded, ’tis the turn
Of leaves to flaunt in all their gayest dyes.
’Tis Autumn’s gala: every dryad vies
In decking out her bower. How richly burn
The gorgeous masses in the amber skies,	5
Where to the West, the valley, with its stream,
Is shut with woods that drink the setting beam!
There—by its crimson foliage one descries
The cherry, thrown out by the auburn shades
Of beech, with russet oak, and hoary sallow,	10
And greenest ash, bearing its golden keys,
With here and there wych-elm of paler yellow.
How gracefully the waning season fades!
So Nature’s every dress and every look can please.