Early Spring Blooms
These verses are from one of the earliest poems of Henry Wadsworth
Longfellow ( 1807-1882 ), written when he was still a teenager . He included it and a few others in a section called “ Earlier Poems ” in Volume One of the 1857 edition of his Poetical Works . While it lacks his mature style , it reminds us of crisp winter days and shows us a stage in Longfellow ’ s own flowering as one of America ’ s most admired poets . Longfellow and his family are buried in lot # 580 on Indian Ridge Path .
Woods in Winter When winter winds are piercing chill , And through the hawthorn blows the gale , With solemn feet I tread the hill , That overbrows the lonely vale .
Alas ! how changed from the fair scene , When birds sang out their mellow lay , And winds were soft , and woods were green , And the song ceased not with the day !
But still wild music is abroad , Pale , desert woods ! within your crowd ; And gathering winds , in hoarse accord , Amid the vocal reeds pipe loud .
SNOWDROPS ( Galanthus ) have very tough tips and push through the frozen ground , springing up like magic when the snow melts . Sometimes they are up by early January . Their bell-like flowers resemble white milk drops hanging from a stiff stem . Look for these on the hillside of Mount Auburn and near the intersection of Fir and Vesper avenues .
Chill airs and wintry winds ! my ear Has grown familiar with your song ; I hear it in the opening year , I listen , and it cheers me long .
— Henry Wadsworth Longfellow
Spring Has Come
Intra Muros . The sunbeams , lost for half a year ,
Slant through my pane their morning rays ; For dry northwesters cold and clear , The east blows in its thin blue haze .
And first the snowdrop ’ s bells are seen ,
Then close against the sheltering wall The tulip ’ s horn of dusky green , The peony ’ s dark unfolding ball .
The golden-chaliced crocus burns ; The long narcissus-blades appear ; The cone-beaked hyacinth returns To light her blue-flamed chandelier .
I hear the whispering voice of Spring , The thrush ’ s trill , the robin ’ s cry ,
Like some poor bird with prisoned wing That sits and sings , but longs to fly .
Oh for one spot of living green — One little spot where leaves can grow ,—
To love unblamed , to walk unseen , To dream above , to sleep below !
— Oliver Wendell Holmes
GLORY-OF-THE-SNOW ( Chinodoxa luciliae ) is well-named , appearing to rise from the disappearing winter snows . Its sixpetal lilac-blue flowers are turned upward and appear to reflect the heavens . SIBERIAN SQUILL ( Scilla siberica ) appears in many places shortly after snowdrops bloom . It is planted under many of the mature European beeches at Mount Auburn . Its bell-like flowers droop downward .
These verses are from a 1858 work of Oliver Wendell Holmes ( 1809-1894 ), one of the hundreds of poems this prolific author created during his long career as physician , scientist , poet , novelist , teacher , essayist and humorist . Holmes is buried in his wife ’ s family lot # 2147 on Lime Avenue .
6 | Sweet Auburn