A Winter Scene
A poem by Henry David Thoreau…
A Winter Scene
Poem
The rabbit leaps,
The mouse out-creeps,
The flag* out-peeps
Beside the brook;
The ferret weeps,
The marmot sleeps,
The owlet keeps
In his snug nook.
The apples thaw,
The ravens caw,
The squirrels gnaw
The frozen fruit.
To their retreat
I track the feet
Of mice that eat
The apple's root.
The snow-dust falls,
The otter crawls,
The partridge calls,
Far in the wood.
The traveller dreams,
The tree-ice gleams,
The blue-jay screams
In angry mood.
The willows droop,
The alders stoop,
The pheasants group
Beneath the snow.
The catkins green
Cast o'er the scene
A summer's sheen,
A genial glow.
Notes
*A flag is a type of large Iris flower
"These stanzas formed part of the original manuscript of the essay on 'A Winter Walk,' but were excluded by Emerson." –The Writing of Henry David Thoreau, Excursions, and Poems (1906)
