This blog delves into the works of remarkable poets such as Emily Brontë, Robert Frost, Christina Rossetti, and William Shakespeare. The works of such poets remind us of the power and beauty of winter and encourage us to reflect on our own relationship with the natural world.
‘Spellbound’ by Emily Bronte
Written in 1837, this mysterious poem describes a dark and forbidding landscape. Spellbound by the bleakness of their surroundings, the speaker is unable to break away from their trance. It is a beautiful though melancholy poem, capturing a mood of darkness and despair.
‘Stopping by Woods on a Snowy Evening’ by Robert Frost
Though written in June (1922) Frost successfully captures the magic of winter in his famed poem. In his short verses, the poet focuses on the thoughts of a lone wagon driver as he travels through snowy woods in the evening. It is a lonely poem but one that beautiful captures the majesty of winter.
‘The Darkling Thrush’ by Thomas Hardy
In this poem too, the poet describes a desolate world. Yet in the midst of his hopelessness, the speaker watches a thrush emerge and wonders if the bird knows something he doesn’t. hardy wrote the poem as an extended metaphor for the decay of Western civilization while the thrush is a symbol for hope and rebirth.
‘In the Bleak Midwinter’ by Christina Rosetti
This beautiful poem is now most recognisable as a carol sung at Christmas. It was in fact published under the title ‘A Christmas Carol’ in the January 1872 and the lyrics (or verses then) were inspired by Rosetti’s commitment to Christianity and art. The poem draws strong connections with the elements and though bleak at times, the description of the birth of Christ brings a sense of hope.
‘Blow Blow Though Winter Wind’ by William Shakespeare
‘Blow Blow Thou Winter Wind’ is a song sung by Lord Amiens in As You Like It. In the ‘song’, Shakespeare compare’s the harshness of winter to man’s ingratitude. Both verses begin with a bitter description of winter but become more light-hearted with the refrain: ‘Then, heigh-ho, the holly!/This life is most jolly’.
‘Winter’ by William Shakespeare
This poem appears as a song at the end of Love’s Labours Lost. The song reads as a series of complaints, first about cold hands and the need for firewood, then about the frozen milk. As well as describing winter in a literal sense, the poem is also about matrimony, and, more specifically, cuckoldry. The ‘horned owl’ referenced in this poem was an Elizabethan symbol of cuckoldry.
‘Winter-Time’ by Robert Louis Stevenson
In this poem, winter is experienced from a child’s point of view. The language is simple, as might be expected of a child. He or she describes the wonders of winter, moving from the cosy fireside to the harsh outdoor world. The images are playful and child-like, with the ‘sleepy-head’ sun and ‘frosty pepper’ wind.
‘A Winter’s Tale’ by Dylan Thomas
‘A Winter’s Tale’ was first published in July 1945. It tells the tale of a man being rescued from despair by a she-bird. In the poem, Thomas alludes to poets such as Shakespeare, Keats, Shelley and Yeats, establishing himself as a poet of equal rank. The poem is a complex tale
Rebirth and draws upon a variety of contrasting images such as sensuality and religion, physical and the metaphysical, snow and fire.
Feeling wintry?
These poetic works serve as a reminder of the dual nature of winter—beautiful yet ominous. The poets invite us to explore the human need for stillness and reflection as well as our propensity to despair. They masterfully capture the majesty of nature and well as its bleakness and mystery.
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