The Pumpkin
By John Greenleaf Whittier
Oh, greenly and fair in the lands of
the sun,
The vines of the gourd and the rich
melon run,
And the rock and the tree and the
cottage enfold,
With broad leaves all greenness and
blossoms all gold,
Like that which o'er Nineveh's prophet
once grew,
While he waited to know that his
warning was true,
And longed for the storm-cloud, and
listened in vain
For the rush of the whirlwind and red
fire-rain.
On the banks of the Xenil the dark
Spanish maiden
Comes up with the fruit of the tangled
vine laden;
And the Creole of Cuba laughs out to
behold
Through orange-leaves shining the broad
spheres of gold;
Yet with dearer delight from his home
in the North,
On the fields of his harvest the Yankee
looks forth,
Where crook-necks are coiling and
yellow fruit shines,
And the sun of September melts down on
his vines.
Ah! on Thanksgiving day, when from East
and from West,
From North and from South come the
pilgrim and guest,
When the gray-haired New Englander sees
round his board
The old broken links of affection
restored,
When the care-wearied man seeks his
mother once more,
And the worn matron smiles where the
girl smiled before,
What moistens the lip and what
brightens the eye?
What calls back the past, like the rich
Pumpkin pie?
Oh, fruit loved of boyhood! the old
days recalling,
When wood-grapes were purpling and
brown nuts were falling!
When wild, ugly faces we carved in its
skin,
Glaring out through the dark with a
candle within!
When we laughed round the corn-heap,
with hearts all in tune,
Our chair a broad pumpkin,—our
lantern the moon,
Telling tales of the fairy who
travelled like steam,
In a pumpkin-shell coach, with two rats
for her team!
Then thanks for thy present! none
sweeter or better
E'er smoked from an oven or circled a
platter!
Fairer hands never wrought at a pastry
more fine,
Brighter eyes never watched o'er its
baking, than thine!
And the prayer, which my mouth is too
full to express,
Swells my heart that thy shadow may
never be less,
That the days of thy lot may be
lengthened below,
And the fame of thy worth like a
pumpkin-vine grow,
And thy life be as sweet, and its last
sunset sky
Golden-tinted and fair as thy own
Pumpkin pie!
The Poet
John Greenleaf Whittier (December 17,
1807 – September 7, 1892) was an American Quaker poet and advocate
of the abolition of slavery in the United States. He lived in New
England, and he was a part of a small group of poets called the
Fireside poets which also included Henry Wadsworth Longfellow and
Oliver Wendell Holmes Sr. They were so named because people would
read their poetry while gathered together by the fireplace. They were
the popular poets of the day who wrote about everyday life, nature
and politics.
The poem above is Whittier's tribute to
the pumpkin, “the fruit loved of his boyhood.” It was first
published in the Boston Chronotype in 1846, and available in
his 1849 Poems. Perhaps the verse reminds the reader of some
favorite food or dish of his or her own childhood still served at
gatherings to help honor such rich traditions.
The Poem – A Gourd of Distinction
- Note: Archeologists have determined that variations of squash
and pumpkins were cultivated along river and creek banks along with
sunflowers and beans by natives of America. This took place long
before the emergence of maize (corn). After maize was introduced,
ancient farmers learned to grow squash with maize and beans using
the "Three Sisters" tradition.
- In Colonial America, the pumpkin, or pompion as it was
called, got more respect. An important food source, pumpkins were
crucial to colonials' survival through the hungry winter months.
In the second stanza, the speaker further extols the value of the pumpkin. It is cherished by a young Spanish girl, who waits on the Xenil River bank and by Creole Indians in Cuba who “laugh out” to behold the growth of those beautiful the “broad spheres of gold.”
Then, the speaker brings the celebration to his own American shores and the Yankee harvest “where crook-necks are coiling and yellow fruit shines/ And the sun of September melts down on his vines.”
With references to both Halloween and Thanksgiving, the speaker employs the gourd to revive pleasant memories of these seasonal American holidays. With this reference, the poet solidifies the importance of the pumpkin in celebration and national lore.
So eventually, the speaker completes
the journey of the pumpkin – from the fruit of the vine to becoming
a rich and flavorful pumpkin pie sure to delight the entire family.
In this delicious fruit is an enduring symbol of traditional hearth
and thanksgiving.
With a grateful voice, the speaker
compares the sweetness in his own life with the “rich pumpkin pie.”
And, in his heart, he holds a prayer of blessed life. Even with a
mouth full of this delight, the speaker senses that his mind and
heart are also full with gratitude for all the blessings he
experiences and enjoys.
Ending on a serious yet whimsical note,
the speaker prays further that his listeners' lives be sweet and that
their final days be filled with golden moments that remain as sweet
as "Pumpkin pie!"
