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I Sat Among the Green Leaves

Marjorie L. C. Pickthall

1883 to 1922

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I sat among the green leaves, and heard the nuts falling,
  The blood-red butterflies were gold against the sun,
But in between the silence and the sweet birds calling
  The nuts fell one by one.

Why should they fall and the year but half over?
  Why should sorrow seek me and I so young and kind?
The leaf is on the bough and the dew is on the clover,
  But the green nuts are falling in the wind.

Oh, I gave my lips away and all my soul behind them.
  Why should trouble follow and the quick tears start?
The little birds may love and fly with only God to mind them,
  But the green nuts are falling on my heart.

Marjorie L. C. Pickthall's I Sat Among the Green Leaves

Marjorie L. C. Pickthall’s poem, I Sat Among the Green Leaves, is a contemplative exploration of innocence, loss, and the inescapable intrusion of sorrow into youthful joy. Through natural imagery and a gentle, pastoral rhythm, Pickthall captures a speaker’s bewilderment at early sorrow in a world where life should still be in full bloom. This analysis will examine the poem’s structure, symbolism, and central themes of premature loss and innocence compromised.

Structure and Form

The poem consists of three quatrains with an ABAB rhyme scheme, which lends a lyrical, almost song-like quality to the verses. The consistent rhythm and rhyme structure create a sense of inevitability, echoing the inevitability of the “falling” that occupies the speaker’s mind. The repetition of the line “the green nuts are falling” in each stanza also serves as a refrain, highlighting the paradox between growth and loss, as something that should signal promise—green nuts, indicative of unripened fruit—falls prematurely, mirroring the speaker’s premature sorrow.

Imagery and Symbolism

Natural imagery permeates the poem, particularly the recurring motif of falling nuts, which Pickthall presents as symbols of lost potential. The speaker is “among the green leaves,” surrounded by nature’s vitality, yet the green nuts “fall one by one.” This contrast introduces a tension between the fullness of life suggested by the setting and the melancholy brought about by this untimely loss.

The “blood-red butterflies” that are “gold against the sun” add a layer of paradoxical beauty; their colors evoke vitality and transience, suggesting both life and fragility. Butterflies, traditionally symbols of transformation, here may signify the speaker’s own transformative experience—possibly a bittersweet awakening to the complexities of love and sorrow.

Themes of Innocence and Sorrow

The second stanza emphasizes the speaker’s internal conflict: “Why should they fall and the year but half over?” The phrase suggests that the speaker feels unprepared for sorrow, viewing it as premature, just as the nuts fall before their natural ripening. The year being “half over” reinforces the idea of youth disrupted before its fulfillment, reflecting the speaker’s own innocence confronting unexpected grief.

The line, “Oh, I gave my lips away and all my soul behind them,” in the final stanza, deepens the emotional intensity of the poem by hinting at a romantic or personal surrender. This act of giving, implied as sincere and whole-hearted, seems to have led to sorrow rather than joy. The line contrasts with the speaker’s observation that “little birds may love and fly with only God to mind them,” suggesting that birds—creatures of nature—are unburdened by human complexity and pain in love. This adds to the speaker’s lament, highlighting her own feeling of unjust punishment for innocence in love.

Conclusion: The Paradox of Growth and Loss

In I Sat Among the Green Leaves, Pickthall creates a poignant reflection on the human experience of loss that feels unseasonable, like green nuts falling too early. The poem’s pastoral setting, initially suggestive of abundance and peace, becomes a stage for introspective sorrow as the speaker realizes that nature’s rhythm includes cycles of unexpected loss. Through simple yet powerful images, Pickthall evokes the fragility of innocence, hinting at the complexities of maturation and the inevitability of sorrow entering even the most promising phases of life.