The autumn leaves Are too heavy with color. The slender trees On the Vulcan Road Are dressed in scarlet and gold Like young courtesans Waiting for their lovers. But soon The winter winds Will strip their bodies bare And then The sharp, sleet-stung Caresses of the cold Will be their only Love.
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Text Authorship:
- by Langston Hughes (1902 - 1967), "Poème d'Automone", appears in The Weary Blues, first published 1926 [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 Margaret Bonds (1913 - 1972), "Poème d'automone" [ voice and piano ], from Songs of the Seasons [sung text not yet checked]
- by Hale Smith (b. 1925), "Poème d'automone" [ SATB chorus and chamber orchestra ], from In Memoriam -- Beryl Rubenstein [sung text not yet checked]
Researcher for this text: Emily Ezust [Administrator]
This text was added to the website: 2021-01-22
Line count: 15
Word count: 52