In Retrospect
In Retrospect - meaning Summary
Memory of Seasonal Change
The poem reflects on passing time and a past relationship whose emotional seasons shifted subtly. Natural imagery—autumn leaves, winter ice, and spring bulbs—maps gradual transformation from warmth to cold and then renewal. The speaker realizes, retrospectively, that while lovers remained above the whim of time they failed to notice the changes and ended in solitude. The final lines register a late, solitary remembering of what was lost.
Read Complete AnalysesLast year changed its seasons subtly, stripped its sultry winds for the reds of dying leaves, let gelid drips of winter ice melt onto a warming earth and urged the dormant bulbs to brave the pain of spring. We, loving, above the whim of time, did not notice. Alone. I remember now.
Feel free to be first to leave comment.