The Richness of Old Age: a New Critical Reading of "to Autumn"

"Where are the songs of Spring? Ay, where are they? Think not of them, thou hast thy music too." So often, people look back upon their youth and wish that they still had it before them. Our natural tendency is to fear old age, to see it as the precursor to death, rather than a time of life, desirable in its own right. However, in John Keats' poem, To Autumn, he urges us not to take this view, but to see old age as a beautiful and enviable state of life, rather than something to be feared.

First of all, it must be established that Keats is even speaking about old age. After all, he does not directly refer to it in the poem. Therefore, if he is speaking about it at all, it must be indirectly, through the use of metaphor, and indeed, one sees that this is the case. The poem refers to autumn as being a "season of mists" (1) which would indicate a time of faded perception, which old age tends to bring. The senses begin to fail as the body gets older. The line adds that this season also includes "mellow fruitfulness" (1). One aspect of the word "mellow" involves sweetness and ripeness, but it also implies the gentleness often associated with maturity, both of which would refer to an aged condition, as both ripeness and maturity only come through

age. The poem later personifies Autumn as "sitting careless on a granary floor" (14). Granaries hold grain that has already been harvested and threshed. It is in the last phase of its existence before its "death" by consumption. Likewise, old age is the last phase of human existence. Also, a common characteristic of old age is baldness. In the poem, autumn's hair is "soft-lifted by the winnowing wind" (15). To winnow something to is eliminate the unnecessary parts, like chaff from grai...

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... a part of Autumn, but merely observes Autumn, and is therefore not part of the autumn/old age idea. The fact that he or she is roaming abroad also contrasts with the more relaxed habits of old age. The traveler is young, and by causing the rhyme scheme surrounding him to be imperfect, Keats communicates the slight dissonance it adds to the uniformity and harmony of the old.

Through the se of metaphor, imagery, form, and rhyme scheme, John Keats crafts a message in this poem for all to hear, both young and old. To those who dread the aging onslaught of the coming years, he says to remember autumn. To those wishing again for the good old days of childhood, and feeling dissatisfied with their old age, he says to remember autumn. Age brings fruitfulness, stability, leisure, and harmony. It should be embraced for the natural and wonderful part of life that it is.