Unknown writer

To an Autumn Leaf

Summary


"To an Autumn Leaf" is a short poem that turns a single golden leaf into a tiny boat waiting to launch from its branch. The speaker coaxes the shimmering shallop to let go and slip down, imagining a fairy loosening its hold and dew-spangled silk sails unfolding for the voyage. Light, musical and full of playful repetition, it captures the gentle moment a leaf begins to fall and invites you to see autumn as a small enchanted departure.

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Wee shallop of shimmering gold!
Slip down from your ways in the branches.
Some fairy will loosen your hold—
Wee shallop of shimmering gold.
Spill dew on your bows and unfold
Silk sails for the fairest of launches!
Wee shallop of shimmering gold;
Slip down from your ways in the branches.

Illustration for To an Autumn Leaf: a fairy launches a golden leaf boat with dewy silk sails from an autumn branch.
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Credits

Unknown Writer is the name given to poets whose work has outlived any record of their identity. This poem's refrain-driven form, in which the opening line returns again and again, echoes the villanelle and rondeau traditions of lyric verse.