“To Autumn” Introduction

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“To Autumn” Summary

“To Autumn” Themes

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  The Beauty of Autumn

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Line-by-Line Explanation & Analysis of “To Autumn”

• Lines 1-3

  O Autumn, laden with fruit, and stained
  With the blood of the grape, pass not, but sit
  Beneath my shady roof;

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 3-6

  there thou mayst rest,
  And tune thy jolly voice to my fresh pipe,
  And all the daughters of the year shall dance!
  Sing now the lusty song of fruits and flowers.

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 7-8

  "The narrow bud opens her beauties to
  The sun, and love runs in her thrilling veins;

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 9-10

  Blossoms hang round the brows of Morning, and
  Flourish down the bright cheek of modest Eve,

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 11-15

  Till clust’ring Summer breaks forth into singing,
  And feather’d clouds strew flowers round her head.
  "The spirits of the air live in the smells
  Of fruit; and Joy, with pinions light, roves round
  The gardens, or sits singing in the trees."

  

  

  

  

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• Lines 16-18

  Thus sang the jolly Autumn as he sat,
  Then rose, girded himself, and o’er the bleak
  Hills fled from our sight; but left his golden load.

  

  

  

  

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“To Autumn” Poetic Devices & Figurative Language

• Alliteration

  

  

  

  

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• Juxtaposition

  

  

  

  

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• Apostrophe

  

  

  

  

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• Assonance

  

  

  

  

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• Caesura

  

  

  

  

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• Consonance

  

  

  

  

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• Enjambment

  

  

  

  

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• Imagery

  

  

  

  

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• Metaphor

  

  

  

  

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• Personification

  

  

  

  

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“To Autumn” Vocabulary

Select any word below to get its definition in the context of the poem. The words are listed in the order in which they appear in the poem.

• Laden
• Pass not
• Mayst
• Thy
• Jolly
• Lusty
• Thrilling
• Flourish
• Clust'ring
• Strew
• Pinions
• Roves
• Girded

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Form, Meter, & Rhyme Scheme of “To Autumn”

• Form

• Meter

• Rhyme Scheme

“To Autumn” Speaker

“To Autumn” Setting

Literary and Historical Context of “To Autumn”

More “To Autumn” Resources

• External Resources

  • Blake's Radicalism — Watch an excerpt from a documentary in which writer Iain Sinclair discusses Blake's radicalism. 

  • The Art of William Blake — Take a look at some of Blake's visionary paintings; he was a groundbreaking visual artist as well as a poet.

  • Blake and Swedenborg — Read an article on the influence of the Swedish theologian on Blake's work and thought. 

  • Blake's Poetical Sketches — Explore the full text of the collection in which this poem appeared. 

  • Blake's Visions — Watch an excerpt from a documentary in which writer Iain Sinclair discusses Blake's religious visions. 

• LitCharts on Other Poems by William Blake

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  • Earth's Answer

  • Holy Thursday (Songs of Experience)

  • Holy Thursday (Songs of Innocence)

  • Infant Joy

  • Infant Sorrow

  • Introduction (Songs of Innocence)

  • London

  • Nurse's Song (Songs of Experience)

  • Nurse's Song (Songs of Innocence)

  • The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Experience)

  • The Chimney Sweeper (Songs of Innocence)

  • The Clod and the Pebble

  • The Divine Image

  • The Ecchoing Green

  • The Fly

  • The Garden of Love

  • The Human Abstract

  • The Lamb

  • The Little Black Boy

  • The Little Vagabond

  • The School Boy

  • The Sick Rose

  • The Tyger

  • To the Evening Star