The Daily Poem Jane Kenyon's "Three Songs at the End of Summer"
Sep 1, 2025
This installment explores the poignant emotions surrounding the transition from summer to fall in Jane Kenyon's poem. It examines the bittersweet feelings of nostalgia and loss that accompany change. Rich imagery of nature and childhood memories invites listeners to reflect on the beauty and complexity of life’s cycles.
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Melancholy At Seasonal Transition
- Sean Johnson frames the poem as capturing an end-of-summer melancholy and inner tension at transitions.
- He suggests the poem both senses and circles back to observe transformation between seasons.
Vivid Rural Opening Scenes
- The poem opens with vivid rural images: cut hay, crows, crickets, and a spoiling garden.
- These scenes ground the speaker's feeling of change and set the sensory stage for introspection.
Everyday Triggers Deep Grief
- The poem links ordinary school-year images to sudden, inexplicable grief in the speaker.
- That contrast makes the emotion feel universal and surprising rather than purely nostalgic.