The personification of autumn begins immediately in the first stanza. Autumn and the sun are compared to a pair of people whispering secrets to each other.
Season of mists and mellow fruitfulness,
Close bosom-friend of the maturing sun;
Conspiring with him how to load and bless
With fruit the vines that round the thatch-eves run;
The two people are said to be close friends, and they conspire with each other about various plans. I picture a couple of my junior-high students whispering to each other in the back of the classroom.
In the second stanza, the personification continues. This time, autumn is sitting on the granary floor and has hair that is blowing in the wind.
Sometimes whoever seeks abroad may find
Thee sitting careless on a granary floor,
Thy hair soft-lifted by the winnowing wind;
Later in the same stanza, autumn is given a few various jobs. Autumn is a common laborer taking a nap alongside the harvest, and then a few lines later autumn is called a "gleaner." A gleaner is someone who gathers the remaining food after the reaper has gone through.
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