There is strange music in the stirring wind,
When lowers the autumnal eve, and all alone
To the dark wood’s cold covert thou art gone,
Whose ancient trees on the rough slope reclined
Rock, and at times scatter their tresses sere.
If in such shades, beneath their murmuring,
Thou late hast passed the happier hours of spring,
With sadness thou wilt mark the fading year;
Chiefly if one, with whom such sweets at morn
Or evening thou hast shared, afar shall stray.
O Spring, return! return, auspicious May!
But sad will be thy coming, and forlorn,
If she return not with thy cheering ray,
Who from these shades is gone, far, far away.
By William Lisle Bowle
William Lisle Bowles (1762–1850) was an English poet, critic, and clergyman known for his sonnets, which influenced the Romantic poets such as Coleridge and Wordsworth. His works often dealt with themes such as nature, melancholy and personal reflection, with an emphasis on emotion and spirituality. Bowles was also involved in literary criticism, notably participating in a debate with Lord Byron on the value of poetic form and themes.
