To Autumn

I enjoyed this poem for its bold and powerful imagery of nature, which is a well-known attribute of Keats' works. I also liked the sense of the conspiratorial tone between the sun and Autumn in the first stanza; seeing as though they are both responsible for the bounty of fruit and crops for the harvest. This setting is portrayed by the swelling growth of fruits and vines under the intense sunlight, moving into the spring and summer.

Between the conspiring first stanza and the harmonious singing in the last I noticed that time had gotten away from me. It starts with the brightening sun and the full ripening of fruit, and then suddenly birds, lambs and crickets are singing and moving to the sunset of a dying day. The construction of the poem sucks you in with all the poetic landscape and imagery to where it almost seemed as though the sun had been slowly descending the entire time. Also, Autumns careless and relaxed persona in stanza two makes it feel like the day is slowly stretching forward but not toward an ending; as if time itself was expanding.

Side note - what is with the random cider press? Throughout the entire poem it is painted a vibrant setting of color, fragrance, and music of the seasons and of the harvest - then right in the middle, at the end of stanza three, there is a cider press, which Autumn appears to be watching ever so closely. Why? To me it just seemed like a random addition; like if someone had a screw in a box of plant and flower seeds.