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Poet: A.E. Housman
Poem: Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now
Poem of the Day on:
Nov 3 2005
Comment 7 of 7, added on October 20th, 2007 at 12:35 AM.
Stanza # I
Reference: -
These musically rhymed lines have been taken from the poem, “Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now,” composed by A.E. Housman.
Context: -
The poem is an amazing blend of pain and pleasure, excitement and regret, freshness of nature and brief span of human life. It also tells us about the deep love of the poet for the snow capped cherry tree. The poet has been animating his vision by this lovely sight for the last fifty years. But this flame of passion for the cherry seems increasing with every passing year.
Explanation:-
In these beautiful lines the poet has unveiled his intense love for cherry tree, which is an ambassador of nature. It blossoms in spring which reveals its beauty in original form. It truly captivates, bewitches and allures the poet to the extent that it becomes a source of everlasting joy for him. To quote John Keats,
“A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loneliness increases;
It will never,
Pass into nothingness….”
The cherry tree is standing about the “Woodland ride” along the riding tract in the woods. It is adorned in white dress, as if it were in preparation for the celebration of Easter. These verses show that passion presents ordinary things in an extra-ordinary way.
Stanza II
In these lines the poet openly confesses that he is seventy years old. But at the same time he feels that his love for cherry sprouted in his heart when he was only twenty years old. The poet claims to have enjoyed the beauty of cherry blossom in fifty springs. But it has not exhausted his passion rather he laments over the loss of those twenty years which he has spent without enjoying the beauty of this tree. The line “twenty will not come again” truly reflects the remorseful feelings of the poet. It gives double shade to the poem i.e. ‘pleasure and pathos. But the intensity of poet’s love eclipses all other themes.
Stanza III
Although the poet has enjoyed the beauty of the spring, coloured and flavoured by the glory of cherry for fifty long years, yet he feels that even this period is not sufficient to do justice with nature.
The poet believes that life is too short to relish it. That is why the poet resolves to keep on treading the pastures which lead to the abode of cherry. He still wants to go to the woodland to see the exotic beauty of the cherry tree whose flowery boughs are hanging down with snow.
To quote Huxley,
“Nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest
Freshness deep down things.”
Syed Ahmad Bukhari from Pakistan
Comment 6 of 7, added on April 4th, 2006 at 8:23 AM.
To me this is a poem of life and time. i can manly tell because of the time change in every paragraph. it is saying that as time goes on are life grows shorter.Mostly because one day we will all die.weather we wont to or not.
Corey
Comment 5 of 7, added on March 20th, 2006 at 9:24 PM.
The poem itself may be hopeful and full of prospects. However upon looking at it in a more in-depth analysis, we see that Housman is actually reflecting a sad and melancholy mood. He does seem to enjoy the coming of spring and renewel; however in underscoring this point, he admits to the inevitability of death. Everything comes to an end and Spring is only a temporary state. Ultimately, all things result in death.
James from United States
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Stanza # I
Reference: -
These musically rhymed lines have been taken from the poem, “Loveliest of Trees, the Cherry Now,” composed by A.E. Housman.
Context: -
The poem is an amazing blend of pain and pleasure, excitement and regret, freshness of nature and brief span of human life. It also tells us about the deep love of the poet for the snow capped cherry tree. The poet has been animating his vision by this lovely sight for the last fifty years. But this flame of passion for the cherry seems increasing with every passing year.
Explanation:-
In these beautiful lines the poet has unveiled his intense love for cherry tree, which is an ambassador of nature. It blossoms in spring which reveals its beauty in original form. It truly captivates, bewitches and allures the poet to the extent that it becomes a source of everlasting joy for him. To quote John Keats,
“A thing of beauty is a joy for ever:
Its loneliness increases;
It will never,
Pass into nothingness….”
The cherry tree is standing about the “Woodland ride” along the riding tract in the woods. It is adorned in white dress, as if it were in preparation for the celebration of Easter. These verses show that passion presents ordinary things in an extra-ordinary way.
Stanza II
In these lines the poet openly confesses that he is seventy years old. But at the same time he feels that his love for cherry sprouted in his heart when he was only twenty years old. The poet claims to have enjoyed the beauty of cherry blossom in fifty springs. But it has not exhausted his passion rather he laments over the loss of those twenty years which he has spent without enjoying the beauty of this tree. The line “twenty will not come again” truly reflects the remorseful feelings of the poet. It gives double shade to the poem i.e. ‘pleasure and pathos. But the intensity of poet’s love eclipses all other themes.
Stanza III
Although the poet has enjoyed the beauty of the spring, coloured and flavoured by the glory of cherry for fifty long years, yet he feels that even this period is not sufficient to do justice with nature.
The poet believes that life is too short to relish it. That is why the poet resolves to keep on treading the pastures which lead to the abode of cherry. He still wants to go to the woodland to see the exotic beauty of the cherry tree whose flowery boughs are hanging down with snow.
To quote Huxley,
“Nature is never spent;
There lives the dearest
Freshness deep down things.”
Syed Ahmad Bukhari from Pakistan