Mary Ann Maitland was a Scottish-Canadian writer born in Elgin, Scotland, in 1839. Known mainly as the author of poems, church hymns and short stories, she has been immortalised as the inspiration for the character of Anne Shirley of the famous Anne of Green Gables novel by Lucy M. Montgomery. She died in St Marys, Ontario in 1919.
The poem featured in this post, Autumn Leaves, is found in her book by the same title, published in 1907. Amidst the autumn gloom and the sad sight of fallen and crushed leaves, the poet is reminded that seasons will change again, ending the sense of grief and pain.
Scroll down below the poem for two simple vocabulary exercises designed for English language learners. And do post your thoughts on this poem in the comments section at the bottom of the page.
Over the earth they drift to-day,
Gold and crimson and russet brown,
Flecked and spattered, as though in play
Nature had thrown her colours down.
Swept and whirled to the miry street,
See them in loathsome channels lie,
Cleft and trodden by ruthless feet โ
Careless feet of the passers by.
Crushed till beauty and form are lost!
Crushed with never a thought of pain!
Yea, with this from a light lip tossed,
โSpring and summer will come again!โ
Even here where the willow grieves
Oโer the harvest โthe Reaperโ keeps,
Wind in billows the rustling leaves โ
Wind and drift where my darling sleeps!
While I press them with tender feet,
Something whispers amid my pain,
Words I heard in the distant street โ
โSpring and summer will come again!โ
VOCABULARY EXERCISES
I. Find the words in the poem for these three colours:
II. The poet uses a number of adjectives and past participles to describe leaves. Find the words in the poem with the following meaning:
- moved, esp. quickly and powerfully (as if with a broom)
- covered with small drops of a liquid
- split, divided into two
- with small spots or marks on it
- walked over, stepped on
To check your answers, please click here.
COVER PHOTO CREDIT
Photo by laura adai via Unsplash.
Discover more from grammaticus
Subscribe to get the latest posts sent to your email.
grammaticus 
