Most of our wild flowers that blossom in the fall
are of brilliant colors. In September the fields
and fence rows are a blaze of reds, yellows, buffs,
and browns. Conspicuous among these is the stately
yellow plume of the goldenrod, strikingly described
in the following poem. Read this selection slowly.
Every line adds to the picture--every word means
one more idea. Try to sense the entire meaning of
the author.
(Used by special permission of the author.)
When the wayside tangles blaze
In the low September sun,
When the flowers of summer days
Droop and wither, one by one,
Reaching up through bush and brier, 5
Sumptuous brow and heart of fire,
Flaunting high its wind-rocked plume,
Brave with wealth of native bloom--
Goldenrod!
When the meadow lately shorn, 10
Parched and languid, swoons with pain,
When her lifeblood, night and morn,
Shrinks in every throbbing vein,
Round her fallen, tarnished urn
Leaping watch fires brighter burn; 15
Royal arch o'er autumn's gate,
Bending low with lustrous weight--
Goldenrod!
In the pasture's rude embrace,
All o'errun with tangled vines,
Where the thistle claims its place,
And the straggling hedge confines,
Bearing still the sweet impress 5
Of unfettered loveliness,
In the field and by the wall,
Binding, clasping, crowning all--
Goldenrod!
Nature lies disheveled, pale, 10
With her feverish lips apart;
Day by day the pulses fail,
Nearer to her bounding heart;
Yet that slackened grasp doth hold
Store of pure and genuine gold; 15
Quick thou comest, strong and free,
Type of all the wealth to be--
Goldenrod!
1. Three of the stanzas definitely locate the
goldenrod. Read the lines that tell where it grows.
2. Which stanza makes the most vivid picture for
you? What descriptive words in the stanza help make
this picture?
3. Read the second stanza aloud, and tell in your
own words what you think each line means.
4. Find synonyms (words of similar meaning) for the
following: sumptuous, unfettered, disheveled,
lustrous. Substitute your synonym for each of these
words and read the line aloud.
5. Make a pencil sketch of a goldenrod as you
recall it. Color your sketch with crayon.
6. The goldenrod is sometimes called our national
flower. Why do you think it is so called? What is
your state flower?