Possible Clues:

• "My country __ of thee ..."
• Christmas song contraction
• ''___ better to have loved ...''
• ''Whether ___ nobler ...''
• It's in poetry?
• '___ Autumn' (Woody Herman hit)
• Musical sevenths
• '___ the mind that makes the body rich': Petruchio
• "___ the season to be ..."
• '___ the season'