"No spring nor summer beauty hath such grace, as I have seen in one autumnal face." John Donne
“A wind has
blown the rain away and blown the sky away and all the leaves away, and
the trees stand. I think, I too, have known autumn too long.”
e. e. cummings
The earth’s blossom spell is all finished
Beauteous Beaver Lake scenes seems vanished.
Confused petals, disorderly oak leaves
Heavily brushing over the house eaves.
The hiking of Double Ninth Day’s ebbing
Mountain climbers dispersed and departed
Morn till night the biting north wind buzzing
Front and back doors remain doubly locked.
In an eye twinkle autumn to nougat comes.
With the drizzle two missed cats return home.
Hor-ming Lee
“Autumn is a fleeting season, melancholy by nature. Its ghostly beauty cultivates a fertile atmosphere for memories that wrote their history on a tablet of fallen leaves - I recall them with the greatest clarity... Whatever else autumn may be, it is the prophet of winter. Winter lasts forever.” ― Brian P. Easton, Autobiography of a Werewolf Hunter
"Once, when the Zen master Tokusan was still a student, he visited his teacher, Ryutan, just before sundown. They sat on the floor of Ryutan's hut, casually drinking tea and discussing Zen until deep into the night. At last, Ryutan said, 'Maybe it's about time you went home.' Tokusan bowed to his teacher and walked to the door. 'It's completely dark outside,' he said. Ryutan lit the lantern and said, 'Why not take this?' Just as Tokusan was about to take the lamp from his teacher's hands, Ryutan blew out the flame. Tokusan suddenly knew everything there was to know."