Henry David Thoreau

Henry David Thoreau was an American essayist, poet, and philosopher of the Transcendentalist movement. His poems are meditative, often exploring nature, spirituality, and the individual's relationship to the cosmos. Biography ↓More ↓

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Henry David Thoreau

I am the autumnal sun

Sometimes a mortal feels in himself Nature -- not his Father but his Mother stirs within him, and he becomes immortal with her immortality. From time to time she claims kindredship with us, and some globule from her veins steals up into our own. I am the autumnal sun, With autumn gales my race is run; When will the hazel put forth its flowers, Or the grape ripen under my bowers? When will the harvest or the hunter's moon Turn my midnight into mid-noon? I am all sere and yellow, And to my core mellow. The mast is dropping within my woods, The winter is lurking within my moods,

Biography

Henry David Thoreau was an American author and philosopher born in 1817 and associated with the Transcendentalist circle of Concord, Massachusetts. He wrote poetry throughout his life, often incorporating it into his journals and essays. His verse shares the core concerns of his prose works, focusing on the natural world, simplicity, self-reliance, and personal conscience. Imagery from the New England landscape frequently appears, serving as a symbol for deeper spiritual truths. His poems are characterized by a plain, reflective style that seeks to convey the rhythms and lessons of the natural world. While his literary reputation rests largely on his prose, his poetry is considered an integral part of his philosophical legacy. Many of his poems were published posthumously in collections such as 'Poems of Nature' in 1895. His work continues to be read for its quiet insight and its celebration of the relationship between nature and the self.

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