O hushed October morning mild, Thy leaves have ripened to the fall; To-morrow's wind, if it be wild, Should waste them all. The crows above the forest call; To-morrow they may form and go. O hushed October morning mild, Begin the hours of this day slow, Make the day seem to us less brief. Hearts not averse to being beguiled, Beguile us in the way you know; Release one leaf at break of day; At noon release another leaf; One from our trees, one far away; Retard the sun with gentle mist; Enchant the land with amethyst. Slow, slow! For the grapes' sake, if they were all, Whose leaves already are burnt with frost, Whose clustered fruit must else be lost -- For the grapes' sake along the wall.
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Text Authorship:
- by Robert Frost (1874 - 1963), "October", appears in A Boy's Will, first published 1915 [author's text checked 1 time against a primary source]
Musical settings (art songs, Lieder, mélodies, (etc.), choral pieces, and other vocal works set to this text), listed by composer (not necessarily exhaustive):
- by Gary Bachlund (b. 1947), "October", 2005 [ soprano or mezzo-soprano and piano ] [sung text checked 1 time]
- by Alva Henderson (b. 1940), "October", 1968, first performed 1970, from A Seasonal Songbook, no. 2 [sung text checked 1 time]
- by John Theodore Livingston Raynor (1909 - 1970), "October Morning", op. 76 (1945) [ voice and piano ] [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2007-04-29
Line count: 21
Word count: 128