Autumn Leaves by A. Purinton
By happenstance I came across a female poet I was not familiar with, a New Englander named A. Purinton. Her compilation Autumn Leaves was published in 1886 in Massachusetts. Have you heard of her? She never sought to be published and wrote the lyrics for her own satisfaction. They are special. I have included a full text link below. It is so wonderful to have vintage and classic literature available online in full text! I know many novelists are like me and also write poems. Please enjoy this short excerpt by Purinton. I chose the section because it is a little sad and reminiscent of the autumn season we now experience.
And repeated the story old,
By my grandmother so often told,
As with garrulous and dulcet tones
She talked of the old ancestral homes.
It was in the good old times he went,
In Salem’s earlier settlement,
And, as I judge from her report,
Great uncle, or something of that sort.
And left one heart so true and tried
Who sought in vain her grief to hide;
And hope and faith alike grew dim,
As she never heard one word from him.
Her bounding heart its hopes renew,
Whene’er a ship’s sail caught her view;
But no tidings came of any sort.
From any ship that came in port.
So time went on; after some years
Strange rumors aggravate her fears;
Her hopes deferred and feverish grown.
She to an early grave went down.
I hope you enjoyed this selection from Autumn Leaves by poet A. Purinton. How does it make you feel?
Cheers & Happy Reading!
Flossie Benton Rogers, Conjuring the Magic in Romance
It does have a feeling of sadness or ending hanging over it, and yet the words are beautiful. What a beautiful picture to go with it, too. Thanks for sharing, Flossie!
I think so too, Mae. It’s moving.
Touching and absolutely exquisite in its despondency.
Thanks for sharing!
And yes, you’re right. Many of us also write poetry. It comes natural, I think.
Years ago I used to write a poem a day. That’s when I got good with cinquains 😉