Mother, Summer, I
Mother, Summer, I - meaning Summary
Summer Unease and Relief
The poem contrasts two responses to summer: the mother who anxiously distrusts bright days—anticipating storms and finding relief when August rain and autumn arrive—and the son, who despite being born in and fond of summer, feels overwhelmed by its apparent perfection. Both characters prefer the restraint of autumn. The speaker frames summer’s clarity as too bold and insists on a quieter, more fitting season of decline and appropriateness.
Read Complete AnalysesMy mother, who hates thunder storms, Holds up each summer day and shakes It out suspiciously, lest swarms Of grape-dark clouds are lurking there; But when the August weather breaks And rains begin, and brittle frost Sharpens the bird-abandoned air, Her worried summer look is lost, And I her son, though summer-born And summer-loving, none the less Am easier when the leaves are gone Too often summer days appear Emblems of perfect happiness I can't confront: I must await A time less bold, less rich, less clear: An autumn more appropriate.
Feel free to be first to leave comment.