The republic. [volume] (Washington [D.C.]) 1849-1853, 1849-10-29
The season.

The season.
Travellers have very frequently noticed
the extreme splendor and even gaiety OF
our autumnal woods. To those of them
who were but partially instructed that this
splendid gaiety was but the effect of decay,
it has appeared more brilliantly beautiful
than European scenery; and were il not
for the idea of decay and death which such
scenes bring, nothing could equal their
brilliancy By the first of September, the
gay green of summer assumes dark and
sombre shade that hue, so peculiarly
characteristic Of youth with all its hopes,
has darkened to the tinge of sober age, and
the first feeling of decay strikes upon the
heart with knell too solemn to be misun-
derstood. Now and then, rustling leaf
untimely torn from its stem futters in the
blast, but the sober forest holds the weight
of its dark green leaves, in all the strength
of lusty old age. Let but one frost pass
over this dark green wood, and how changed
is every thing! From the most sombre
hues of thoughtful age, how sudden the
transition to the gayest green and bright
est yellow, and beauty and brilliancy once
more smile over the prospect. The birch
is the first tree to fade, or rather renew its
beauty, and it now shines in yellow dress,
harmonizing with exactness to the green
around. The monarch oak still stretches
his giant arms in all their gnarled and
twisted contortions, covered with the same
dark garment that neither one nor many
frosts can tinge. The varieties of maple
are early in their change, and, on slop-
ing hill of various forest trees, you can
perceive their almost golden spots speckle
the dark green mount, like some gay island
OF the green oceans wave. While to
harmonic the coloring, the brown scared
walnut skirts the forest, blending its hues
with the light green chestnut and the dark
some oak.
In few weeks, or, if a severe frost sue
ceeds, in few days, the appearance OF
the same sloping hill will be still more
splendid. The walnut has still darker
robe, the oak holds its crown of green, the
chestnut filings to the passing breeze its
long and light brown leaves, the poplar
rears its yellow head, sparsely scattered
over the wood, while the brightest red
paints the large maple leaves and throws
an almost meteoric glare over the scenes
of decay and death; and as the morning
sun shines over the brilliant prospect, the
whole seems like some fairy land deckec
with the flowers of Plenty, and blazoneo
with undecaying beauty. Could we but
for one little hour forget ourselves, SC
lovely is the ''rapture OF repose that's
there so bright the smile of lingering
slow paced death, we should at once in
dulge the wish that it might be ever thus;
but in vain-the work of death goes on
more and more frequent is the leaf ''borne
off bv the blast" and more and more
brown is the hue of the forest. Some
wears, if October is serene and free from
winds and frosts, this splendid mixture OF
yellow and red and green and brown con-
tinues TO deck the forest for weeks, and
like some of the gay scenes of life, we
think it will last forever.
OH how like life and its delusive plea
sures is this autumn scene, gay and bright
for one short hour, dependent for its gaiety
on the very causes that viii produce t:
decay, and soon, very soon, losing every
hue in the frosts OF disappointment and the
winter of age. How often has this splen
did sight, gazed upon by the last rays 0
the setting sun as if they sorrowed in tax
ing their leave of It's brilliancy, in one
night, been ruined by the storm that swep
over il, and the next morning showing
none of those varied and beautiful tint
that glowed in the evening sky. An uni
form brown gloomily frowned over the
whole scene, save the light yellow spot:
OF the poplar, and the dark red of the higf
oak. In a few more days, every brown
leaf is Frustrated on the earth, and the
blast signs as it passes through the bare
boughs.
Through the whole of this change, ;,
much like the pleasures of this world, on,
uniformity is perceivable, one tree stand
untouched by the frosts and storms, ant
stretches forth It's straight and dark greer
head above the dcsolation around it,
is the evergreen pine, directing, like thu
hope of eternity which IT resembles, IT
undecaying top towards heaven, unseeI
amid the bright green of prosPerlty's sum
mer, but we'll distinguished when tn
storms Of adver~ity's autumn, or death
icy winter, strip ear hly pleasures Of thei
foliage. -H~fford Courant, 24h.