To Autumn is a lyrical poem written in the Romantic ages by English poet, Keats. Spring Prospect was written by Tu Fu around the year 760 A.D. The two lyrical poems, To Autumn and Spring Prospect both use nature, specifically the seasons, as a lens of viewing, responding to, and experiencing the challenges faced.
In terms of these poem’s forms, because the Chinese “share the same homogenous and unbroken intellectual tradition and therefore understand the same references, it becomes possible to say something that will be generally understood without saying it” (introduction), Spring Prospect is much shorter in length and form, using only 8 lines. The latter part of this quote really resonated with me as a break-through in understanding how the Chinese works of literature are short yet powerful, concise yet profound.
In contrast, “To Autumn” is written in three, eleven line stanzas. It is a longer piece, written with detail and imagery. “in Western literature, poetry is primarily perceived as imaginative fiction”, as opposed to it being culturally understood, without having to blatantly express it.
In my opinion, both these poems have a sort of ambiguous vibe. In Spring Prospect, the subject or the speaker is unknown. In lines 3 and 4, it mentions “feeling the times, flowers draw tears, hating separation, birds alarm the heart.” It makes us question, is the speaker observing this happening, or is he the one “feeling” and “hating”. The authors leaves it to our own interpretation. Similar to the poem, To Autumn, we are left with a sense of ambiguity on who exactly Keats is referring to when he speaks about “conspiring with him” in line 3.
I found several common themes between these two beautifully written pieces. First, the evidently expressed approaches to the natural world. Spring Prospect instills a feeling of fear and sadness: “flowers draw tears, hating separation” (line 3) In To Autumn, nature (or the season of Autumn) was painted in a very positive light, for most of the poem at least. The speaker describes the endless fruits, blooming flowers and magnificent scenery. Both the poems depict the quiet observation and subtle appreciate for nature, truly referring to G-d.
In To Autumn, Keats essentially deifies the season of Autumn. While I was reading this poem, it reminded me of some sort of prayer, as if this was his way of connecting to G-d. In the first two lines of the Spring Prospect, Tu Fu describes “the nation shattered, hills and streams remain; The city in spring, grass and trees deep;” separating the natural from the unnatural. I think he is alluding to link that divides humanity to nature or the divine. I interpreted this poem as him telling the reader that we are not in control of what the divine does, our nation can be shattered while the hills and streams stay the same, and that we may never understand why.
Similarly, in To Automn, I believe the author is having a revelation about G-d and the cycle of life. The first stanza speaks about fruitfulness, growth and ripening of nature. The second section discusses the harvesting, the labor that goes into growing this beautiful image he paints. At the end of this passage, he writes “Thou watches the last oozings hours by hours”, ultimately referring to the winter approaching. This part of the poem becomes melancholy. The third paragraph speaks about the decline, he is awaiting as Autumn slowly transitions into the desolation of winter, “sinking as the light wind lives or dies.” This cycle is the cycle of life: we are born (we sprout like flowers), we live (harvest) and we die (ultimate decline). It is told with a sense of inevitable loss, something that is bound to happen and out of our control, just like Spring prospect described. So although he is anticipating winter’s approach, the speaker is hopeful, appreciative, and cherishes the experiences of loss in a meaningful way, he learned from experience. That period of harvesting was part of that seasonal cycle, and it softened the idea of a grand tragedy. It is hopeful- knowing that spring will come again and accepting of the fact that it is in the control of G-d, and not humanity, just like Springs Prospect.