In the long, dreary days of winter, When he, the Silent One, hath said, With an unyielding heart, “No more!” Let me come out into the thousand pathways, Where the enfolding trees on each side, Shall keep my footfalls silent in the leaves.

Then let me wander, With the soft winds of spring to lead me, To where the petals flutter soft, And the ivy-green entwines my feet. For in those woods, I find the splendor Of the whole world’s awakening life.

(Excerpt from “Autumn”)

• Henry Wadsworth Longfellow