Ease of Autumn

 
In Hills where the mist meets the gold of the trees
Lived a Bavarian lord, with a heart set at ease
The chill of the autumn had kissed the bright land
And the fruits of the season were ripe by his hand
 
His manor stood high, with its windows aglow
Scent of the harvest crept soft through the snow
The vineyards hung heavy, the apples were sweet
The fields rich with pumpkins lay under his feet
 
With a laugh in his throat and his stein raised high
He welcomed the dusk, under crisp autumn sky
His dunkel was poured, dark and full in his glass
A brew rich as soil, like days that must pass
 
He sipped the cool head as the fire crackled near
The warmth of the season, the taste of the bier
The chestnuts roasted, the venison stewed
His table a banquet of rich autumn’s food
 
Grapes from his vine and the wheat from his field
The fruits of the earth that his labor had sealed
Each bite and each sip, a song in his soul
Colors of autumn made his weary heart whole
 
The night’s chill descended, but the lord didn’t care  
With his stein in his hand and the brisk autumn air
Moon, full and bright, cast its glow on the ground
Lord of the manor felt the world spinning ‘round
 
He gazed at the stars, with a smile on his face
Thankful for autumn’s sweet lingering grace
For the fruits of the earth, for the grain and the vine  
He toasted the season with dark, hearty wine
 
As the winds whispered through the old oaken door  
The lord raised his stein for a final encore:  
“Autumn’s bright bounty, to the harvest well-earned, To dunkel that warms while the leaves, they have turned!”