The ripe grapes, soon to be made into wine, embody autumn for me.  The first sweet grape must is being sold in open bottles (since the bottles would explode if they were firmely corked), soon to turn cloudy when fermentation sets in.  I love it at all the different stages before it is left to mature under the watchful eye of vintners.  The German term for harvesting grapes is actually “herbsten” which is related to “Herbst”, meaning autumn or fall.

The title is taken from one of the most famous poems about autumn in German, by Rainer Maria Rilke:

Befiel den letzten Früchten voll zu sein;
gib ihnen noch zwei südlichere Tage,
dränge sie zur Vollendung hin und jage
die letzte Süße in den schweren Wein. 

Command the last fruits to be ripe;
Grant them another two more southern days,
Press them to ripeness, and with power
Drive final sweetness to the heavy grape.

for the A Photo a Week Challenge: Signs of fall

A Photo a Week Challenge: Signs of Fall