The Four Seasons: Poems »

J. D. McClatchy is a poet and Professor of English at Yale University. He is a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences and a member of the American Academy of Arts and Letters. His book Hazmat (Alfred A. Knopf, 2002) was nominated for the 2003 Pulitzer Prize. He edits the "Voice of the Poet" series for Random House AudioBooks; and has written texts for musical settings, including eight opera libretti, for such composers as William Schuman, Ned Rorem, Lorin Maazel, Bruce Saylor, Lowell Liebermann, and Elliot Goldenthal. His honors include an Award in Literature from the American Academy of Arts and Letters, and fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. He has also been one of the New York Public Literary Lions, and received the 2000 Connecticut Governor's Arts Award. He received the 1991 fellowship from the Academy of American Poets, and served as an Academy Chancellor from 1996 until 2003.  He has edited or co-edited four previous Everyman's Library Pocket Poet volumes.

For the poet, even the most minute details of the natural world are starting points for flights of the imagination, and the pages of this collection celebrating the four seasons are brimming with an extraordinary range of observation and imagery. 

Here are poets past and present, from Chaucer, Shakespeare, and Wordsworth to Whitman, Dickinson, and Thoreau, from Keats, Blake, and Hopkins to Elizabeth Bishop, Ted Hughes, Amy Clampitt, Mary Oliver, and W. S. Merwin. Here are poems that speak of the seasons as measures of earthly time or as states of mind or as the physical expressions of the ineffable. From Robert Frost’s tribute to the evanescence of spring in “Nothing Gold Can Stay” to Langston Hughes’s moody “Summer Night” in Harlem, from the “stopped woods” in Marie Ponsot’s “End of October” to the chilling “mind of winter” in Wallace Stevens’s “The Snow Man,” the poems in this volume engage vividly with the seasons and, through them, with the ways in which we understand and engage the world outside ourselves.

Spring

First Sight of Spring John Clare Clare, John 23

The Year's Awakening Thomas Hardy Hardy, Thomas 24

"A Light exists in Spring" Emily Dickinson Dickinson, Emily 25

Spring Mary Oliver Oliver, Mary 26

"It was a lover and his lass" William Shakespeare Shakespeare, William 28

Nothing Gold Can Stay Robert Frost Frost, Robert 29

March Richard Wilbur Wilbur, Richard 30

Spring Gerard Manley Hopkins Hopkins, Gerard Manley 31

Black March Stevie Smith Smith, Stevie 32

Spring Pools Robert Frost Frost, Robert 34

"Loveliest of trees" A. E. Housman Housman, A. E. 35

March Morning Unlike Others Ted Hughes Hughes, Ted 36

Putting in the Seed Robert Frost Frost, Robert 37

Spring William Shakespeare Shakespeare, William 38

The Lent Lily A. E. Housman Housman, A. E. 39

Spring Song II Jean Garrigue Garrigue, Jean 40

Another April James Merrill Merrill, James 41

Resurrections A. R. Ammons Ammons, A. R. 42

A Cold Spring Elizabeth Bishop Bishop, Elizabeth 43

Lines Written in Early Spring William Wordsworth Wordsworth, William 45

My Father Paints the Summer Richard Wilbur Wilbur, Richard 106

Falling Asleep in a Garden David Wagoner Wagoner, David 108

Dog-Days Amy Lowell Lowell, Amy 109

August Moon Robert Penn Warren Warren, Robert Penn 110

Blackberry-Picking Seamus Heaney Heaney, Seamus 113

Late August on the Lido John Hollander Hollander, John 114

Hyla Brook Robert Frost Frost, Robert 115

Summer is Ended Christina Rossetti Rossetti, Christina 116

"As imperceptibly as Grief" Emily Dickinson Dickinson, Emily 117

"When summer's end is nighing" A. E. Housman Housman, A. E. 118

Autumn

To Autumn John Keats Keats, John 123

"Summer begins to have thelook" Emily Dickinson Dickinson, Emily 125

"Fall, leaves, fall" Emily Bronte Bronte, Emily 126

Unharvested Robert Frost Frost, Robert 127

Autumn Walter De La Mare Mare, Walter De La 128

Autumn John Clare Clare, John 129

Autumn Amy Lowell Lowell, Amy 130

Autumn Chant Edna St. Vincent Millay Millay, Edna St. Vincent 131

Ode to the West Wind Percy Bysshe Shelley Shelley, Percy Bysshe 132

The Seven Sorrows Ted Hughes Hughes, Ted 136

An Autumn Sunset Edith Wharton Wharton, Edith 138

Autumn Alexander Pushkin Pushkin, Alexander 140

Simple Autumnal Louise Bogan Bogan, Louise 145

The Flux of Autumn Jean Garrigue Garrigue, Jean 146

"Turn me to my yellow leaves" William Stanley Braithwaite Braithwaite, William Stanley 150

The Latter Rain Jones Very Very, Jones 151

To Autumn William Blake Blake, William 152

Hoar-Frost Amy Lowell Lowell, Amy 153

Written in Autumn Mary Tighe Tighe, Mary 154

The Fall of the Leaf Henry David Thoreau Thoreau, Henry David 155

Autumn Refrain Wallace Stevens Stevens, Wallace 163

The Dying Garden Howard Nemerov Nemerov, Howard 164

An Autumnal Anthony Hecht Hecht, Anthony 165

Aftermath Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth 167

The Love for October W. S. Merwin Merwin, W. S. 168

October Dawn Ted Hughes Hughes, Ted 169

October Helen Hunt Jackson Jackson, Helen Hunt 171

Last Week in October Thomas Hardy Hardy, Thomas 172

End of October Marie Ponsot Ponsot, Marie 173

Heart of Autumn Robert Penn Warren Warren, Robert Penn 175

No! Thomas Hood Hood, Thomas 177

November William Dean Howells Howells, William Dean 178

November Phyllis McGinley McGinley, Phyllis 179

November Night Adelaide Crapsey Crapsey, Adelaide 181

Late November A. R. Ammons Ammons, A. R. 182

During Wind and Rain Thomas Hardy Hardy, Thomas 183

Crow's Nests Richard Wilbur Wilbur, Richard 185

Spring and Fall Gerard Manley Hopkins Hopkins, Gerard Manley 186

An Old-Fashioned Song John Hollander Hollander, John 187

"That time of year thou mayst in me behold" William Shakespeare Shakespeare, William 188

[1(a] E. E. Cummings Cummings, E. E. 189

Winter

Whiter William Shakespeare Shakespeare, William 193

Winter Thomas Sackville Sackville, Thomas 194

"It sifts from Leaden Sieves" Emily Dickinson Dickinson, Emily 196

"Pray to what earth does this sweet cold belong" Henry David Thoreau Thoreau, Henry David 197

Winter Anne Bradstreet Bradstreet, Anne 198

"The night is freezing fast" A. E. Housman Housman, A. E. 200

Winter Walk John Clare Clare, John 201

The First Snow-Fail James Russell Lowell Lowell, James Russell 202

From a Notebook James Merrill Merrill, James 204

The Snow-Storm Ralph Waldo Emerson Emerson, Ralph Waldo 205

The Paperweight Gjertrud Schnackenberg Schnackenberg, Gjertrud 207

From Snow-Bound John Greenleaf Whittier Whittier, John Greenleaf 208

The Snow Donald Hall Hall, Donald 211

Lines Written on a Window at the Leasowes at a Time of Very Deep Snow William Shenstone Shenstone, William 213

Silver Filigree Elinor Wylie Wylie, Elinor 214

To a Leaf Falling in Winter W. S. Merwin Merwin, W. S. 215

Runes, Blurs, Sap Rising Amy Clampitt Clampitt, Amy 217

Crows in Winter Anthony Hecht Hecht, Anthony 218

Snow-Flakes Henry Wadsworth Longfellow Longfellow, Henry Wadsworth 219

Afterflakes Robert Frost Frost, Robert 220

The Snow Man Wallace Stevens Stevens, Wallace 221

"Now winter nights enlarge" Thomas Campion Campion, Thomas 222

A Winter Twilight Angelina Weld Grimke Grimke, Angelina Weld 223

Winter Fear Kay Ryan Ryan, Kay 224

Sestina d'Inverno Anthony Hecht Hecht, Anthony 225

Winter Scene A. R. Amnions Amnions, A. R. 227

"There's a certain Slant of light" Emily Dickinson Dickinson, Emily 228

Year's End Richard Wilbur Wilbur, Richard 229

Snow and Snow Ted Hughes Hughes, Ted 231

"The night is darkening round me" Emily Bronte Bronte, Emily 233

Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening Robert Frost Frost, Robert 234

California Winter Karl Shapiro Shapiro, Karl 235

Winter William Carlos Williams Williams, William Carlos 237

"The Sky is low - the Clouds are mean" Emily Dickinson Dickinson, Emily 238

Orchard Trees, January Richard Wilbur Wilbur, Richard 239

February Afternoon Edward Thomas Thomas, Edward 240

February 13, 1975 James Schuyler Schuyler, James 241