I happened on this week’s choice while searching for inspiration and I thought it an apt choice for autumn. It is “Ruth” by Thomas Hood.
On her cheek an autumn flush,
Thomas Hood (1799—1845)
Deeply ripened;—such a blush
In the midst of brown was born,
Like red poppies grown with corn.
Poem 340. Ruth
She stood breast high amid the corn,
Clasped by the golden light of morn,
Like the sweetheart of the sun,
Who many a glowing kiss had won.
On her cheek an autumn flush,
Deeply ripened;—such a blush
In the midst of brown was born,
Like red poppies grown with corn.
Round her eyes her tresses fell,
Which were blackest none could tell,
But long lashes veiled a light,
That had else been all too bright.
And her hat, with shady brim,
Made her tressy forehead dim;—
Thus she stood amid the stooks,
Praising God with sweetest looks:—
Sure, I said, heaven did not mean,
Where I reap thou shouldst but glean,
Lay thy sheaf adown and come,
Share my harvest and my home.
Hood paints a picture here of a moment in time—that elusive moment where love instantly captures the heart and one person is smitten by another.
We first see this woman standing amongst the stalks in a cornfield with the rising sun illuminating her like a painting. She glows in the early light as if she were some kind of goddess beloved of the sun. The sun colours her face, making her brown skin redden like a patch of poppies amongst the dun colour of the corn. Her eyes are dark and her hair is just as black as they are but there is a light in her eyes, partly concealed by her lashes, that hints at a vibrant spirit within. Her hat shades her face and the hair artfully arranged beneath. Standing amongst the harvested corn (stooks are sheaves of grain bound together and awaiting collection from the field), her whole presence is a benediction, her gaze a blessing. The narrator, struck by this unearthly beauty, realises that he wants her to share his life: harvest and home alike, rather than scrabble for the gleanings.
I had not realised that gleaning was a common practice in European countries and is still in use: the Wikipedia article is most illuminating. Hood uses all the autumnal colours in this poem: gold, brown and red; black appears, but only to intensify the brighter colours.
I like the poem because it paints its picture so beautifully and because it evokes that moment when we realise that we love another.
Links
- Read about gleaning at Wikipedia.
- Listen to Runeman’s performance on YouTube.