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We saw leaves go to glory,
Then almost migratory
Go part way down the lane,
And then to end the story
Get beaten down and pasted
In one wild day of rain.
We heard " 'Tis Over" roaring.
A year of leaves was wasted.....
By denying and ignoring
The waste of nations warring.
- Robert Frost
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Radio
I left it
on when I
left the house
for the pleasure
of coming back
ten hours later
to the greatness
of Teddy Wilson
"After You've Gone"
on the piano
in the corner
of the bedroom
as I enter
in the dark
from New and Selected Poems by David Lehman
For another November poem, I suggest "November Graveyard," by Sylvia Plath, of wintering trees that look dead to the poet but that come alive in her art. It appeared first in Mademoiselle, chosen by Cyrilly Abels, who published her for the first time nationally.
Posted by: Grace Schulman | November 22, 2020 at 10:02 AM
What a good suggestion! Thanks, Grace.
Posted by: David Lehman | November 22, 2020 at 01:15 PM
This is a edited version of the poem. The version I found in "The Poetry of Robert Frost" SBN: 03-072535-6, page 359. Also had, starting at "of leaves was wasted...", Oh, we make a boast of storing,/of saving and of keeping,/But only by ignoring/The waste of moments sleeping,/The waste of of pleasure weeping,/By denying...
Just if Anyone was interested in that. I personally really like those lines:)
Posted by: Malka Scott-Thoennes | May 12, 2021 at 07:40 PM
This is not the whole poem that I have. You leave out "Oh, we make a boast of storing, O saving and of keeping, But only by ignoring - The waste of moments sleeping, The waste of pleasure weeping, By denying and ignoring" The waste of nations warring.(from Time Out, dated 1938)
Posted by: barbara paterson | November 03, 2022 at 03:26 PM
Thank you for the corrections and amendations. Apparently Frost edited the poem. In reference to the version presewnted here, I found this explanation on line: << “November” was first published in The Old Farmer’s Almanac 1939 as “October” and was later published as “November” in A Witness Tree, after it was realized that A Boy’s Will included a poem titled “October.” The manuscript title was “In Praise of Waste,” but it also held several other titles, including “For the Fall of Nineteen Thirty Eight” and “Lines Written Last Autumn.” >>
Posted by: David Lehman | November 04, 2022 at 01:16 PM